Palo Alto Weekly 03.09.2012 - section 1

Palo Alto Weekly 03.09.2012 - section 1

Section 1 of the March 9, 2012 edition of the Palo A;lto Weekly

Palo Alto
Downtown theater, offices proposed
Page 3
w w w.PaloA ltoOnline.com
Scams and identity theft cost Palo Altans millions
page 22
Pulse 14
Spectrum 16
Movies 32
Puzzles 65
Page 27 Page 35 Page 41
Arts Choral music with a klezmer twist Sports Gunn's championship season continues Home Ventura: a place of family and community
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Page 2
Upfront
by Gennady Sheyner eninsula cities and transportation officials see California's proposed high-speed rail system as both a looming threat and a golden opportunity -- a project that could both burden the area with unwanted noise, new barriers and property seizures and provide it with the funds for long-coveted transportation improvement.
Daylight saving time begins
Set your clocks ahead one hour at 2 a.m. this Sunday.
Local news, information and analysis
Bay Area looks to cash in on high-speed-rail funds
Despite concerns about rail system, cities and transportation agencies seek ways to benefit from project
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Both dynamics, the fear and the hope, are in play these days as Bay Area transportation agencies and cities are trying to reach a consensus on "early investment opportunities" that the rail project could bring to the region. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Caltrain and cities between San Francisco and San Jose are now preparing a "memorandum of
understanding" that would lay out the Bay Area's priorities when it comes to projects that could benefit from rail funds in the short term. The California High-Speed Rail Authority is scheduled to consider the cities' input in early April. Marian Lee, director of Caltrain's modernization program, wrote in a recent report that the rail authority has reached out to
Caltrain and other transportation agencies. "The early investment projects would be those needed to modernize the Caltrain system and support the blended Caltrain and highspeed rail system," Lee wrote. Seamus Murphy, Caltrain's manager of government affairs, said up to $1 billion in high-speed rail funds would be available for "early
investment" improvements. Cities and transportation agencies would need to match some of this money with funding from other sources. The projects would be required to both benefit the $98.5 billion San Francisco-to-Los Angeles highspeed-rail project, which California voters approved in 2008, and
(continued on page 13)
LAND USE
TheatreWorks: a downtown home?
Proposal to build office building, theater follows years of discussion
by Gennady Sheyner n its roughly four decades on the Peninsula, TheatreWorks has piled up rave reviews and theater awards, but one prize has continuously eluded the theater company: a permanent home. That, however, could soon change. An ambitious plan by billionaire John Arrillaga to build a theater and a large office building near Palo Alto's downtown Caltrain station could help TheatreWorks achieve its dream of finding a place it can call its own. Theater officials have told the Weekly they have been in discussions with Stanford University and the city over the new plan and are hoping to become the occupant of the proposed theater, which would be built at 27 University Ave., the site of the historic MacArthur Park restaurant. The project is still in its embryonic phase, but Monday night, March 5, the City Council approved 8-0, with Mayor Yiaway Yeh absent, a staff recommendation to spend $250,000 on design work and environmental analysis. The money would be taken from a $2.5 million fund that Stanford University pledged to provide the city as a "public benefit" last year as part of the massive expansion of its hospital facilities. If the project were to proceed, it would be a major coup for TheatreWorks, a nonprofit company that currently alternates between the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts and Palo Alto's Lucie Stern Community Center. Theater officials say the current setup creates both logistical inconvenience and confusion for patrons. Robert Kelley, the company's artis(continued on page 9)
I
James Tensuan
On the ropes
A child plays on the rope spider web during Family Science Night on Wednesday, March 7, at the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo. The zoo receives funds from Partners in Education (PiE) to enrich science curricula. A video of the event is online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. to have ties to a Mexican drug-trafficking organization, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Alberto Rodriguez, 28, Carlos Aguilar, 25, and Liliana Lopez, 24, all of San Jose, appeared in court Monday afternoon and were ordered held on $2 million bail each by Superior Court Judge Jerome Nadler. All are charged with conspiracy to transport a controlled substance, manufacturing a controlled substance, possession for sale of a controlled substance, child endangerment, quantity enhancements, and a gang enhancement, the DEA said. Multiple items believed to be stolen from Palo Alto were recovered from the apartment located in the 4400 block of Woods Drive, the DEA, San Jose Police Department, Santa Clara County District Attorney and Palo Alto Police Department stated in a press release. Police had been tracking an iPad by its GPS signal and did not have a warrant to search the apartment, but the apartment occupants gave police permission to enter, Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney David Tomkins said Monday. Detectives conducted a preliminary search of the residence for the stolen property and observed the methamphetamine. Detectives contacted the San Jose Police Department and
(continued on page 13)
CRIME
Palo Alto police investigation nets historic drug bust
Search for stolen Palo Alto iPads leads to 750 pounds of methamphetamine in San Jose apartment
by Sue Dremann and Jocelyn Dong alo Alto police tracking an iPad stolen during a recent burglary stumbled upon a methamphetamine cache in San Jose last Thursday, March 1, leading to one of the largest seizures of
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the illegal drug in U.S. history, lawenforcement agencies announced. The three people arrested in connection with the 750 pounds of methamphetamine -- worth $34 million on the street -- are believed
Page 3
Inspirations
a guide to the spiritual community
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, UCC
Upfront
450 CAMBRIDGE AVE, PALO ALTO, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210
PUBLISHER William S. Johnson EDITORIAL Jocelyn Dong, Editor Carol Blitzer, Associate Editor Keith Peters, Sports Editor Tyler Hanley, ExpressTM and Online Editor Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Tom Gibboney, Spectrum Editor Sue Dremann, Chris Kenrick, Gennady Sheyner, Staff Writers Eric Van Susteren, Editorial Assistant, Internship Coordinator Veronica Weber, Staff Photographer Kelsey Kienitz, Photo Intern Dale F. Bentson, Colin Becht, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Karla Kane, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti, Contributors Cristina Wong, Editorial Intern DESIGN Shannon Corey, Design Director Raul Perez, Assistant Design Director Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn, Senior Designers Lili Cao, Designer PRODUCTION Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager Dorothy Hassett, Samantha Mejia, Blanca Yoc, Sales & Production Coordinators ADVERTISING Tom Zahiralis, Vice President Sales & Advertising Judie Block, Adam Carter, Janice Hoogner, Brent Triantos, Display Advertising Sales Neal Fine, Carolyn Oliver, Rosemary Lewkowitz, Real Estate Advertising Sales David Cirner, Irene Schwartz, Inside Advertising Sales Cathy Norfleet, Display Advertising Sales Asst. Diane Martin, Real Estate Advertising Asst. Alicia Santillan, Classified Administrative Asst. Wendy Suzuki, Advertising Sales Intern EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Rachel Palmer, Online Operations Coordinator Rachel Hatch, Multimedia Product Manager BUSINESS Susie Ochoa, Payroll & Benefits Elena Dineva, Mary McDonald, Claire McGibeny, Cathy Stringari, Business Associates
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
10:00 a.m. This Sunday: A Downer of a Pep Talk
Rev. David Howell preaching Come experience our new 5:00 p.m. service! Vibrant, Engaging and Arts-Based
Inspirations is a resource for ongoing religious services and special events. To inquire about or to reserve space in Inspirations, please contact Blanca Yoc at 223-6596 or email byoc@paweekly.com
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ADMINISTRATION Janice Covolo, Doris Taylor, Receptionists Ruben Espinoza, Courier EMBARCADERO MEDIA William S. Johnson, President Michael I. Naar, Vice President & CFO Tom Zahiralis, Vice President Sales & Advertising Frank A. Bravo, Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Connie Jo Cotton, Major Accounts Sales Manager Bob Lampkin, Director, Circulation & Mailing Services Alicia Santillan, Circulation Assistant Chris Planessi, Chip Poedjosoedarmo, Computer System Associates The Palo Alto Weekly (ISSN 0199-1159) is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306, (650) 326-8210. Periodicals postage paid at Palo Alto, CA and additional mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for Santa Clara County. The Palo Alto Weekly is delivered free to homes in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, East Palo Alto, to faculty and staff households on the Stanford campus and to portions of Los Altos Hills. If you are not currently receiving the paper, you may request free delivery by calling 326-8210. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302. Copyright �2012 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: www.PaloAltoOnline.com Our email addresses are: editor@paweekly.com, letters@paweekly.com, digitalads@paweekly.com. Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 326-8210, or email circulation@paweekly. com. You may also subscribe online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Subscriptions are $60/yr.
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This can really be a transformative move for the city.
--Sid Espinosa, Palo Alto City Councilman, on a new proposal to build a theater and high-rise office building on the site of MacArthur Park restaurant. See story on page 3.
Around Town
A `CLEAN' SLATE ... Palo Alto officials were buzzing with excitement Monday about the city's latest green-energy initiative -- a new program that allows local companies to install solar panels and then sell energy to the city's Utilities Department. Councilman Pat Burt called the program a fulfillment of the community's desire for energy that is both very clean and competitive when it comes to rates. Utilities Advisory Commission Chair Jonathan Foster agreed, calling the program "the right thing" at "the right time" for Palo Alto. Councilman Larry Klein also said he was "very enthusiastic" about the program, despite his prior misgivings about its name. Initiatives of this sort are common in Europe, where they go by the clunky, vague and (to the layman) generally meaningless title of "feed-in tariff" programs. In an impressive feat of reverse engineering and a robust debate at the utilities commission, the city's program was christened "Palo Alto CLEAN," which stands for "Clean Local Energy Accessible Now." The advisory commission had actually preferred the name "PaloAltoGreen Local Energy Program," but the council ultimately went with CLEAN. Klein said the acronym that the city adopted isn't perfect but is much easier to explain to people than "feed-in tariff." "I'm hoping by doing this we can abolish references to `feed-in tariff' because no one understands what it means," Klein said. FIELD DAY ... El Camino Park is set for a major transformation as part of Palo Alto's decision to build a large underground reservoir at the park. But what started out as an emergency-preparedness endeavor is now spilling over into the recreational realm. City officials plan to use the water project as an occasion to add a host of new amenities to the park, including new pathways, a synthetic playing field, an expanded parking lot and potentially a dog exercise area. The City Council will consider on Monday a proposal to spend $2.3 million on the proposed amenities. The biggest question surrounds the dog area -- a $207,000 project that staff recommends deferring for the time being. In a new report, Daren Anderson of the Community Services Department wrote that the water project "has created a unique opportunity for the City to leverage time and resources to improve several areas of the popular park." A NEW LEAF ... Palo Alto will proudly flaunt its arboreal zeal on Saturday, March 10, when local officials and tree enthusiasts flock to Mitchell Park to celebrate Arbor Day. The city, which after all is named for a tree, is inviting residents to join staff members of the nonprofit group Canopy in planting trees and partaking in a host of tree-related activities. These will include a "tree-climbing circus" with champion tree climbers, said Catherine Martineau, Canopy's executive director. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. LABORING ALONG ... Palo Alto and its police union remain far apart in their negotiations over a new labor contract, but city management earned a small victory last week in its three-year quest to reduce employee costs. The council approved on March 5 a new contract with Fire Department management -- an agreement that eliminates managers' bonus program, raises the amount they have to contribute for pensions and requires them to contribute 10 percent toward their medical premiums. The benefit adjustments that the city has made to the four-member labor group are similar to those that have been recently accepted by Palo Alto's major unions, including the Services Employees International Union, Local 521, and Palo Alto Professional Firefighters, Local 1319. "I'm happy we can now put this behind us and move into structural changes for another group," Councilwoman Nancy Shepherd said at the March 5 meeting. The city's next goal is convincing the police union to make significant concessions -- a quest that has yet to bear fruit. Last month, the city declared an "impasse" in its negotiations with the 82-member Palo Alto Police Officers Association, whose contract expired last July. On a parallel track, city officials are now looking to adopt "labor guiding principles" that would require the city to reach agreements with its labor unions before existing contracts expire -- a policy championed by Councilman Larry Klein. The City Council's Policy and Services Committee is scheduled to consider the proposed document Tuesday night.
Upfront
CITY HALL
Keith, Lt. Scott Wong and Capt. Mark Venable -- all of whom earned close to $300,000 in total wages. The only city officials on the list of top 10 earners who are not publicsafety employees are City Manager James Keene (whose $246,811 made him the ninth-highest paid city worker) and Mary Minto, a management specialist in the Library Department whose $81,010 salary is dwarfed by a cash-out payment of $164,082. Minto retired last year. The city's salary list reflects one of City Hall's most conspicuous trends on 2011 -- an exodus of veteran officers from the police department. Lt. Zach Perron Monday evening noted that there's been a "remarkable loss of institutional knowledge" in the department. "Lt. Denson is a shining example of that loss," Perron said. The overall salary expenditures varied little between 2010 and 2011, rising from $101.1 million to $102.1 million largely because of the cashout payments. The relatively stationary figures reflect the city's recent suspension of salary raises in light of the recent economic downturn. The City Council has also aggressively targeted employee benefits over the past three years, creating a second pension tier for most labor unions (the tier would provide less generous benefits for newly hired employees) and requiring workers to contribute for their health care costs. formances, capturing a piece of the Olympic spirit that inspires us all. These athletes provide a model for an active and engaged life for their peers as well as following generations." Guislin agreed. "If you asked me five years ago if I would be getting up at 5 in the morning to swim, I would have said you were crazy," he said. "At Stanford (Master Swimmers), every third person is a physician because they believe it's the fountain of youth." New age-group records are set in swimming and track and field each year at the games, according to Cribbs. Track and field produced three American records and three world records at California's 2011 State Championships. But the real thrill of engaging in athletics for Guislin is talking to fellow swimmers. "Everybody's your age. I feel like I'm with 100 people who are my best friends," said Guislin, who typically works out by swimming 2,500 to 3,500 meters each day. The bulk of the games are centered at the Stanford athletic fields. The events are open to athletes 50 and older, and spectators are admitted for free. Competitions include archery, badminton, basketball, bocce, bowling, cycling, feats of strength, fencing, golf, horseshoes, lawn bowling, race walk, racquetball, road race, rowing, rugby, sailing, shuffleboard, soccer, softball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field, triathlon, volleyball and water polo. The lawn-bowling tournament takes place at the Palo Alto Lawn Bowls, at 474 Embarcadero Road (next to Gamble Garden), March 20-22. The golf tournament takes
Retired officers top Palo Alto's list of earners
Departing police officers, firefighters `cashed out' on years of service in 2011
by Gennady Sheyner s some of Palo Alto's longestserving police officers and firefighters head for retirement in the face of benefit reductions, some are cashing in on years' worth of unused vacation, holiday and sick pay -- factors that in some instances caused their overall compensation in 2011 to more than double that of prior years. According to a list of 2011 salaries the city released Monday evening, March 5, police and firefighters continue to dominate Palo Alto's list of highest-paid employees. Of the top 15, 12 are public-safety workers, including the top seven. But what's different about the new list is the high number of recent retirees, particularly in the police department. These include Lt. Kenneth Denson, a 31-year veteran who retired at the end of last year. Denson, whose resume includes stints as commander of the SWAT team, the supervisor of the canine unit and a homicide de-
CityView
A round-up of
Palo Alto government action this week
A
tective, received a special resolution and a standing ovation from the City Council Monday night. Denson solved every homicide that took place during his tenure, and he achieved a conviction in each case. In addition to earning the council's praise, Denson also earned $407,908 in total wages in 2011, making him the highest paid city worker last year. Of this sum, $212,738 consisted of "cash out" pay, which accounts for such factors as vacations, holidays and unused sick pay. His regular salary was $195,169. Denson is far from alone in cashing out upon retirement. The five highestpaid city employees in 2011 all retired at the end of the year. Fire Captain Jason Amdur finished second on the list with $322,734, which includes a $94,082 base salary, $65,365 in overtime and $163,286 in cash-out payments. He is followed on the list by three police officers -- Lt. Douglas
Theater: The council approved a staff recommendation to spend $250,000 from Stanford University's fund dedicated to transit-station improvements for design work relating to a proposal to build a theater and an office building at the present site of MacArthur Park. Yes: Burt, Espinosa, Holman, Klein, Price, Scharff, Schmid, Shepherd Absent: Yeh Energy: The council approved the creation of Palo Alto CLEAN, a feed-in tariff program that allows commercial customers to sell energy to the city's Utilities Department. Yes: Burt, Espinosa, Holman, Klein, Price, Scharff, Schmid, Shepherd Absent: Yeh
City Council (March 5)
Golf: The committee discussed proposals to reconfigure the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course and recommended approving Option G, which would relocate 15 holes and make room for three athletic facilities. Yes: Unanimous Trash rates: The committee recommended adding fixed fees to residential refuse rates to account for the cost of street sweeping, household hazardous waste collection and Cleanup Day. Yes: Unanimous
Council Finance Committee (March 6)
Utilities Advisory Commission (March 7)
Fiber optics: The commission approved proposed revisions to the fiber-optic rate schedule. Yes Eglash, Foster, Keller, Waldfogel Absent Cook, Melton
The council imposed the new benefits on its largest labor unit, the Service Employees International Union, Local 521, in 2009. Last fall, it reached a similar agreement with the firefighters union after 18 months of heated negotiations. Management's effort to get concessions from its largest police union, the Palo Alto Police Officers
Association, has proven thornier, prompting the city to declare an impasse last month.
VIEW SALARIES ONLINE www.PaloAltoOnline.com
A chart of city employee salaries in 2011, for those who earned more than $51,000, is posted on Palo Alto Online.
SPORTS
Bay Area Senior Games take center stage
Palo Alto, Stanford to also host California senior state championships
by Sue Dremann ach morning at 5:20 a.m. John Guislin, 61, dives into the pool at Stanford University's Avery Aquatic Center. A Stanford Masters swimmer, building stamina and strength, Guislin is preparing for competition in the 2012 Bay Area Senior Games, which starts in venues at Stanford and Palo Alto Friday, March 9. Guislin previously took part in the 2009 Summer National Senior Games, which were also held at Stanford. More than 30,000 people attended. "I had never competed in an Olympic-style event," he said on Wednesday. "My wife and I had to qualify for the nationals. We had such a great time that now we're addicted." Guislin will compete in the 50-, 100-, 200- and 500-yard competitions, he said. He will also carry the solar torch at Stanford to open the games. Although he has not broken any records, he does take pride in his "personal bests," he said. The athletic championship for seniors is a qualifying competition for the National Senior Games or "Senior Olympics" in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2013, said Anne Warner Cribbs, California Senior Games Association chairperson and organizer of
2012 Senior Games schedule
Events taking place in Palo Alto and Stanford this weekend
Times listed below are start times:
Friday, March 9
Solar Torch Relay at Stanford, 5 p.m.
E
the Bay Area games. This month's games are expected to draw more than 2,500 athletes in 27 sports, from tennis and cycling to horseshoes and rugby. Seniors continue to break boundaries in sports activities, even those considered strenuous, Cribbs said. This year, a special award, the ENCORE Cup Series, will highlight so-called Boomer sports: soccer, rugby, water polo, sailing and fencing, she said. The National Senior Games Association has not yet sanctioned these demanding sports, Cribbs said. But among the California Senior Games Association, "We believe they deserve recognition," she said. Trophies will be awarded to the outstanding men's and women's team and individual in each sport annually, she said. New also this year is the bocce tournament, which has 100 entrants so far and will take place in Livermore, Cribbs said. Bocce was added at the request of many of the sport's enthusiasts. And an eight-team rugby tournament at Stanford will return for a second year. Cribbs pointed out that senior athletes "are anything but `retiring.' They train hard and use their life experience to deliver all-out per-
Saturday, March 10
Basketball -- Men's (3 x 3) at Ford Center, Stanford, 9 a.m.; Free Throw contest directly following games (approx. 2 p.m.) Racquetball at Page Mill Road YMCA, 9 a.m. Swimming at Avery Aquatic Center, Stanford, 8 a.m. Soccer at El Camino Fields, Stanford, 9 a.m. Water Polo at Avery Aquatic Center, 8 a.m.
Sunday, March 11
RaceWalk at Cobb Field at Stanford. 1,500 meter at 9 a.m.; 5K at 1 p.m. Racquetball at Page Mill Road YMCA, 9 a.m. Road Race 5K at Cobb Field at Stanford, 8:30 a.m. Soccer at El Camino Fields, Stanford, 9 a.m. Track & Field at Cobb Track, Stanford, 8 a.m. Water Polo at Avery Aquatic Center, 8 a.m. Events continue through March. A complete list of sports and venues has been posted at www.bayareaseniorgames.org. Schedule subject to change. Some event start times have not yet been determined, depending on number of entries. Admission to watch all sports is free and open to the public.
place March 13 at Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course, 1875 Embarcadero Road. Cribbs said she is particularly proud of the eight or nine women's water polo teams that will compete. Water polo is a sport that many women did not get to play in high school since it was reserved for males. But women who watched their children play in high school decided to start their own teams.
There is a theory that once people reach a certain age, they can't engage in vigorous sports. But Cribbs said the games show that athletics are the key to a good, healthful quality of life. "We can show the world that the competition never ends," she said. Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
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Upfront
RECREATION
Palo Alto looks to add playing fields to golf course
City Council committee recommends major redesign of Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course
by Gennady Sheyner
T
he Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course would be dramatically redrawn and reduced by more than 10 acres to make way for new athletic fields under a reconfiguration plan that a City Council committee endorsed Tuesday evening, March 6. The course is slated for major changes under a regional plan to calm the flood-prone San Francisquito Creek, which lies adjacent to the Embarcadero Road golf facility. The flood-protection plan offered by the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority -- a coalition that includes Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and water officials from Santa Clara and San Mateo counties -- proposes constructing a levee at the golf course to protect residents downstream from potential damage. The flood-control plan would make some changes to the course inevitable, but the council's fourmember Finance Committee Tuesday threw its unanimous support behind Option G -- the most ambitious and transformative of the four alternatives on the table. The proposal would relocate 15 of the course's 18 holes, create 15 new greens and allocate about 10.5 acres at the 170-acre course for athletic fields.
Option G costs more than the other three options but also creates the greatest opportunity for the city to recoup its investment, according to an economic study the city commissioned. The city's golf-course consultant, Forrest Richardson, pegged this option's price tag at about $7 million. The other options range from $3.5 million to $5.9 million. In backing Option G, the committee praised it as a great opportunity to leverage regional funds for a project that would both revitalize the 18-hole course, which was built in the 1950s and last remodeled in the mid-1970s, as well as add athletic fields, a pressing need in a city with a booming student population. The city works regularly with 34 local sports clubs and nonprofits that represent about 25,000 participants, a recent city report stated. Demand is expected to grow due to year-round sports seasons, new housing developments, the growing number of girls in team sports and new sports organizations. The $7 million price tag does not include the cost of building the fields, but it makes land available for these facilities. Vice Mayor Greg Scharff said he is hopeful the city could go out to the community to raise money for the new athletic facilities.
Courtesy of City of Palo Alto
Option G for renovating the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course -- which would relocate 15 of the 18 holes, create 15 new greens and allocate more than 10 acres for athletic fields -- is costlier but has the greatest opportunity for recouping costs, according to an economic study. "I think we desperately need new playing fields," Scharff said. "We're creating land here by doing this, and I think we're getting a much, much better golf course." Option G would generate about $1 million more in annual revenues than Option A once the city pays off the debt on the course, according to a study from the consultant, National Golf Foundation Consulting. The project would involve closing the course from April 2013 to March 2014 and would include full replacement of the course's irrigation system and transformation of 43 acres to naturalized space, according to the city. The decision by the creek authority to build a levee on the golf course is part of a long-awaited plan. The creek overflowed in a 1998 storm, causing damage to about 1,700 properties. Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
TALK ABOUT IT
www.PaloAltoOnline.com
What do you think about the idea of adding athletic fields to the Palo Alto golf course? Share your opinion on Town Square, the community online discussion forum, on Palo Alto Online.
COMMUNITY
Palo Alto Girl Scouts were first in the West
Nearly 500 girls to march in Girl Scouts of America centennial celebration on Monday
by Sue Dremann hen the Girl Scouts of America celebrates its 100th anniversary Monday evening, Palo Alto's Girl Scouts will have their 90th anniversary. In 1922, Palo Alto Girl Scouts Service Unit 1 became the first Girl Scout organization in the West. Today's the local group numbers 1,092 girls and 793 adults in 103 troops, from 5-year-old Daisies to high school students. Some of Palo Alto's registered lifetime members are nearly 90 years old, leader Vicki George said. On Monday, about 400 to 500 Palo Alto Girl Scouts will walk from the Lou Henry Hoover Program Center at Rinconada Park to City Hall, where Mayor Yiaway Yeh will read a proclamation, and the girls and women will shine lights at 7:12 p.m. Lou Henry Hoover, the wife of
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President Herbert Hoover, helped establish the service group in Palo Alto in 1922. She viewed the Girl Scouts as an appealing way to train young women to respond to crises and disaster. As a troop leader in Washington, D.C., Hoover had established an integrated troop, with white and black girls, which was extremely rare for that time, according to the National First Ladies' Library. Splitting her time between their homes in D.C. and Palo Alto, she helped found a troop in Palo Alto in 1917 and expanded it to create the Santa Clara Council in 1922, officially opening the Girl Scouts to the western states. The enduring appeal of the Girl Scouts is due in large part to the organization's flexibility and willingness to remain relevant with the times, said Palo Alto resident Marion Mandell, who joined the Girl
Girl Scouts, including (from left) Maia Tindall, Georgia Luehrs, Leanna Colanino and Sashinka Poor, all of Girl Scout Troop 61129, were out in force selling cookies at Town & Country Village in February. Scouts in New Jersey in 1939. "The Girl Scouts have (always) been in the forefront of modern events," she said. Mandell, 82, still calls herself a Girl Scout. She joined the Palo Alto service group in 1958. Mandell said the most attractive parts of scouting for her were being of service to others and the fun of girls doing activities together. She continued on as an assistant leader and in college became a camp counselor. To this day, she is still involved and annually organizes the international father-daughter dance events, including one planned for this weekend, she said. Girl Scout cookies now cost $4 a box; when Mandell was a girl, she sold them for 25 cents, she said. While there have always been outdoor- and community-service skills, when computers came along, the Girl Scouts promptly offered a computer badge, she said. Early on they had badges related to the environment and ecology. Palo Alto Girl Scouts can get badges in areas related to aerospace and architecture and even media savvy. They have one of the
most successful robotics teams. They formed the first all-girls local robotics team about eight years ago in conjunction with NASA, which now encompasses the entire Bay Area, George said. Karen Smestad said she also remains a Scout after many decades. Although her children are grown, she continues to take part in the programs, teaching the next generation of young girls. Scouting offers girls equal-opportunity experiences to become leaders and develop confidence and connections to their communities, she said. "Yesterday I was teaching them how to build a fire," she said Wednesday. "To have someone who just learned to strike a match and watch the fire start; to learn a program within Scouting and take it to fruition to an award; and to build something to give to the community" -- these are the experiences that keep her returning, she said. In addition to having the first service in the West, Palo Alto also has the nation's oldest Girl Scout house that's been in continuous use, at Rinconada Park. It was dedicated in 1926. Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
Veronica Weber
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Page 8
Upfront
CITY HALL
and justified." The money will be used for material and labor costs associated with "tube steel around windows and openings that was not clearly delineated in the plans," Bobel wrote. The latest request raises the number of change orders the city has received for the Mitchell Park library to 15. Together, the change orders total nearly $2 million. Bobel told the Weekly that Flintco has actually asked for about $660,000 in its latest change order and that staff had determined that only about half of this amount is justified. Even the amount that the city has approved, he noted, remains far below the $6 million in change-order requests that it had received from Flintco. The question of who is at fault for the rising costs -- whether it's Flintco; the construction manager, Turner Construction; the architect, Group 4 Architecture; or the city itself -- will be resolved after the project is completed, Bobel said. "What we're focusing on now is getting the building built," he said. "We'll sort out change orders later. We don't think this (dispute) will have a material effect on the future library." Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com. "This is a very fluid and a very tentative proposal at this point," Emslie said. Even so, council members reacted favorably to the idea of bringing a new theater to the MacArthur Park site, a project that would require the restaurant's relocation to a site of the city's choosing at the applicant's expense. The proposal also includes at least one office building and an underground garage. "I think this can really open things up for the downtown area -- make it much more integrated," Councilwoman Nancy Shepherd said. Councilman Sid Espinosa said the project has the potential to "really transform this wall between Stanford and Palo Alto. "This can really be a transformative move for the city, and that's why I'm excited," Espinosa said. But "I'm cautious because I just want to be sure we build a process that reaches out to the neighbors, reaches out to businesses and thinks about how to really engage them."
Cost of new Mitchell Park Library continues to climb
Project remains below budget but recent changes are pushing up price tag
by Gennady Sheyner he new Mitchell Park Library and Community Center is slated to open this fall as scheduled, but the city's concerns over who is responsible for the project's cost overruns are expected to drag on well after the new library is built. The project's projected price tag remains, at $41.6 million, well below the engineering estimate of $49 million. But a slew of recent changes to the construction contract have irked members of the City Council, who asked staff in September to issue monthly updates on the ambitious project. On Monday, the council will consider the first major change order since that meeting -- a request by the city's contractor, Flintco Construction, for an additional $278,710 to pay for tube steel that was omitted from the architectural plans. While cost overruns are far
Public Agenda
A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week
CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to meet in closed session to discuss labor negotiations with the Palo Alto Police Managers' Association. The council also plans to discuss 355 Alma St., a proposed five-story building at the site of a former Shell station; approve final design for El Camino Park improvements; and consider a contract with Sherry Lund Associates relating to performance reviews for council-appointed officers. The closed session will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 12. Regular meeting will follow in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). BOARD OF EDUCATION ... The board will hold a study session on high school graduation requirements. The meeting will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13, in the board room of school district headquarters (25 Churchill Ave.). BOARD OF EDUCATION ... The board will discuss proposed staff reductions due to budget cuts, and vote on a range of facilities items, including renovations to Palo Alto High School's Tower Building and Haymarket Theatre. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13, in the board room of school district headquarters (25 Churchill Ave.). COUNCIL POLICY AND SERVICES COMMITTEE ... The committee is scheduled to discuss the 2012 federal and state legislative program and the city's labor-guiding principles. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD ... The board plans to discuss 1091 Emerson St., a request for a demolition of a Category 3 building; and 423 University Ave., a request to make fa�ade changes to an existing building. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, March 14, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss its policy on ex parte communications; get an update on the Rail Corridor Study; and hold a public hearing on a proposal to extend the lease of El Camino Park. The meeting will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). CITY-SCHOOL LIAISON COMMITTEE ... The committee will review recent meetings of the City Council and Board of Education, and discuss library updates and bicycle and pedestrian transportation plans. The meeting will begin at 8:15 a.m. on Thursday, March 15, in the Council Conference Room of City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD ... The board plans to discuss 1901 Embarcadero Road, a request by AT&T to install nine panel antennas for a new wireless communication facility to replace the existing Palo Alto Airport beacon tower; 3431 Hillview Ave., a request by VMware to demolish 255,000 square feet of commercial area and construct two office buildings, a cafeteria and three parking structures; and 413 Forest Ave., a proposed three-unit residential condominium project. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 15, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). COUNCIL RAIL COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to discuss a "memorandum of understanding" between the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the California HighSpeed Rail Authority about early-investment opportunities in the Bay Area. The meeting will begin at noon on Thursday, March 15, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). COUNCIL REGIONAL HOUSING MANDATE COMMITTEE ... The commission plans to hear an update about the Sustainable Community Strategy. The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 15, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). PUBLIC ART COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss the Youth Art Awards, maintenance of the city's collection, the Artist Residency Program and the commission's annual retreat. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 15, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).
T
from uncommon in the construction business, the high number of change orders associated with the Mitchell Park project has prompted concern from the council, which reluctantly agreed in September to raise the "contingency" budget for the project from 10 percent to 20 percent to cover unexpected costs. It has also prompted closed-door discussions among city officials about who is responsible for the rising costs and whether any legal action from the city is justified. Palo Alto had also hired consultants to vet the change orders and help the city assess its legal options. According to a new report from Phil Bobel, interim assistant director of Public Works, a consultant has reviewed the latest request and "determined that Flintco is entitled to additional compensation" and that the amount in the new change order is "reasonable
Theater
Proposed theater, offices
Al m aS t Ca ltr ain
tch ell Ln
(continued from page 3)
tic director, said the company typically moves into a venue for a show and then packs up after about five weeks. The new proposal isn't the first time the theater company has discussed possible collaboration with the city and Stanford University. In 1999, the city and the university explored teaming up to build a new theater at El Camino Park, just west of the site currently under evaluation. But Stanford opted in 2000 to pursue its own plan. Kelley said that there's "tremendous virtue" to the University Avenue site, namely its proximity to mass transit, El Camino Real, Stanford University and downtown Palo Alto. The existence of other arts-and-culture facilities in the area would help establish the strip as a cultural destination. "It's in the midst of a burgeoning arts community and an arts district that includes the new Bing Concert Hall (on Stanford's campus) and the Stanford Theatre," Kelley said. Phil Santora, managing director of TheatreWorks, said the company is looking for a venue that could seat 600 (the same as the Mountain View center). Ideally, it would also include a smaller "flexible" space that could accommodate between 150 and 300 seats. The new proposal has one advantage over prior discussions that Stanford and the city eventually tabled -- a pot of money specifically dedicated to improving the area around the Caltrain station. The development agreement between Palo Alto and the Stanford University Medical Center specifically al-
Un
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ive
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ty
Ur
Av e
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n
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Dr
Proposed site (MacArthur Park restaurant)
in o Re
Pal m
The theater and multi-story office building proposed by developer John Arrillaga would be located on the site of MacArthur Park restaurant, just west of the University Avenue Caltrain station. locates $2.25 million to pedestrian and bicycling amenities near the border of Stanford and Palo Alto. The new proposal also has, in Arrillaga, a backer with deep pockets and a long history of major donations to his alma mater, Stanford. Deputy City Manager Steve Emslie called the timing of the proposal a "fortunate situation" because it allows the city to consider pedestrian and bicycle improvements to the area in the context of the project. Had the proposal come in after these improvements are made, the city likely would have to make substantial modifications to accommodate the new facilities. He noted the project remains far from certain and said staff expects to come back in two to three months with more details.
El m Ca
al
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Page 9
Upfront
Upcoming Events
March Chamber Mixer
Contemporary elegance and style are the backdrop for the Chamber's March Mixer at the Four Seasons Hotel. Join us for a taste of Chef Marco Fossati's culinary creations.
News Digest
Private rooftops to generate power for Palo Alto
Private rooftops in Palo Alto could start generating energy for the Palo Alto Utilities Department under a program approved Monday, March 5, by the City Council. Beginning April 2, the utilities department will accept contract applications from energy generators in Palo Alto, such as solar systems located on large commercial rooftops. Initially, the program will be open to generators with a total production capacity of at least 100 kilowatts. The purpose of Palo Alto CLEAN (Clean, Local Energy Accessible Now) is to develop small, local renewable energy systems, according to the utilities department. "We are aiming for this program to generate over 6,000 megawatthours of renewable energy every year, enough to power 1,000 homes," Director of Utilities Valerie Fong said. The CLEAN program is the type known in the industry as a "feed-in tariff" program, in which a utility pays a tariff for power that feeds in to the utility grid. City Council member Pat Burt called it "an important step toward greater energy self-reliance since these renewable resources will be located within the city itself. "We will avoid costly transmission charges and reduce wasted energy losses from remote transmissions," Burt said. The utilities department said it plans to eventually expand the program to include smaller sites and a wider range of energy-generating technologies. More information is available through the utilities department website at www.cityofpaloalto.org or by calling program administrator Jon Abendschein at 650-329-2309. -- Chris Kenrick
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Palo Alto committee backs trash-rate increase
For Palo Alto residents, garbage bins and trash rates have long enjoyed a simple and direct correlation -- the smaller the can, the lower the rate. This link, however, would be weakened under the city's plan to significantly change its method for calculating trash rates. Under a proposal that the City Council's Finance Committee endorsed Tuesday night, March 6, "conservation pricing" (providing cost incentives for residents to switch to smaller cans) will remain in place, but it will be supplemented by new flat fees geared toward recovering for the city the costs of providing services. The new method means that instead of seeing a lump sum -- based on trash-can size -- on their refuse bills, residents will soon start seeing a variety of flat fees. This year, these will likely include an additional $2.09 fee for street sweeping and additional fees to pay for the city's householdhazardous-waste program and its Cleanup Day. The goal is to bring revenues and expenditures for each type of customer into balance and to comply with Proposition 218, a state law that bars cities from setting rates that exceed the cost of providing services. In Palo Alto, the commercial sector currently pays more than its share for refuse services while the residential sector pays less. The new rate structure aims to fix this problem. A recently completed "cost of service" study points at the extent of this disparity. The study shows that the revenues from commercial customers exceed the costs of providing service to these customers by 27 percent. The residential sector, by contrast, has expenses exceeding revenues by about 32 percent. -- Gennady Sheyner
More tire slashings reported in Palo Alto
Three cars on East Meadow Drive and one at the Cubberley Community Center were found with slashed tires this week, according to Palo Alto Police Department records. The three cars with slashed tires at 480 East Meadow Drive were found Monday morning, March 5, and the fourth car at Cubberley Community Center was found Tuesday morning, March 6. The slashings follow a string of similar incidents March 3 in which 51 vehicles in Palo Alto were found with their tires slashed. Three of the recent tire slashings were listed as misdemeanors, and one was listed as a felony, according to the Palo Alto police report. Investigating officers located a number of other damaged vehicles in the neighborhood that had not yet been reported. At the last count, police had found 51 vehicles that had at least one punctured tire. Damaged vehicles have been found in the 200 block of East Meadow Drive, the 4000 block of Park Boulevard, the 200 block of Maclane Street, the 3900 block of Ventura Court, and the 300 block of Ventura Avenue. The vandals slashed multiple tires on many vehicles using a knife or other sharp tool, mostly on the sides of the vehicles closest to the sidewalk. No exact damage estimate is available, but it is thought to be in the thousands of dollars, Lt. Zach Perron said. The department is asking anyone who sees suspicious activity to call 911. Anyone with information on these cases can call the 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2143. -- Bay City News Service and Eric Van Susteren
Page 10
Upfront
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GRAND OPENING SPECIAL
These and other news stories were posted on Palo Alto Online throughout the week. For longer versions, go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com/news or click on "News" in the left, green column.
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Bond refinancing to yield taxpayer savings
Taxpayers will pay lower debt-service rates after the refinancing of a facilities bond approved Monday, March 5, by trustees of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. The savings will be about $690,000 a year between now and 2030, the district said. (Posted
March 8 at 9:49 a.m.)
Second Harvest struggling as food prices rise
Higher food prices and the rising cost of gas are hindering operations at Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
(Posted March 8 at 8:28 a.m.)
The online guide to Palo Alto businesses
ShopPaloAlto.com
(excludes alcohol) Palo Alto Pizza Now Offers Gluten Free Pizza
Police arrest man on stolen-vehicle charges
A man was arrested in Palo Alto Wednesday morning, March 7, after police found him in possession of stolen vehicles and drug paraphernalia on Loma Verde Avenue, according to the Palo Alto Police Department. (Posted March 8 at 7:25 a.m.)
Family displaced by Menlo Park house fire
A family of four was displaced by a one-alarm house fire in Menlo Park Tuesday morning, March 6, that flared up a second time in the afternoon because of high winds, a fire chief said. The blaze was reported in the 50 block of Willow Road by a man staying at the home shortly before 11 a.m., according to the owner. (Posted March 7 at 8:35
a.m.)
Gunn student arrested for deadly weapon assault
A senior at Gunn High School was arrested Monday, March 5, for assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly attacked one student with a stapler and knocked another unconscious, Palo Alto police said. The two 18-year-old students got into a verbal argument after one of the students accused the other of stealing his cell phone, according to police. (Posted March 6 at 1:35 p.m.)
�
Palo Alto to take fresh look at CPI's toxic chemicals
A wave of concerns from Barron Park residents has prompted Palo Alto officials to take a fresh look at the toxic chemicals at Communication and Power Industries, a company whose Stanford Research Park facility stands right next to the residential neighborhood. (Posted
March 6 at 9:57 a.m.)
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Celebrating the `Sister Cities of Palo Alto'
Members of the Palo Alto Rotary Club, Neighbors Abroad and Palo Alto city staff gathered around the new "Sister Cities of Palo Alto" post Monday, March 5, which was unveiled in front of Palo Alto City Hall. (Posted March 6 at 8:15 a.m.)
326-9285
Bicyclist hit by car on Middlefield Road Monday
A bicyclist was taken to the hospital after a car crashed into him, sending him flying through the air, at the intersection of Middlefield Road and Seale Avenue in Palo Alto Monday afternoon, March 5. The victim, an adult male, was riding his bicycle west on Seale Avenue and was crossing Middlefield shortly before 4 p.m. when a northbound Scion sedan hit him, police said. (Posted March 5 at 4:44 p.m.)
Earthquake, 4.0, rattles Bay Area Monday
A 4.0 magnitude earthquake centered in the East Bay shook the Bay Area early Monday morning, March 5, followed by a second magnitude 2.0 quake about 30 minutes later, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. (Posted March 5 at 8:25 a.m.)
Residents, investors gobble up Palo Alto bonds
Palo Alto's recent decision to refinance decade-old downtown-parking bonds and to offer new bonds to residents has saved the city more than $7.5 million, city officials said in a statement. (Posted March 2 at
4:49 p.m.)
Palo Alto 11-year-old will compete on `Jeopardy'
A Palo Alto 11-year-old has been selected as a "whiz kid" from nearly 9,000 children across the country vying to compete in the popular TV quiz show "Jeopardy." Partha Purushotham is among 15 children who will participate in Jeopardy's "Kids Week," to be broadcast July 30 through Aug 3. (Posted March 2 at 1:46 p.m.)
Palo Alto per-student funding down by $788
Per-student funding in Palo Alto schools from government sources has dropped by $788 -- or 6 percent -- since 2009, school district budget officials said. (Posted March 2 at 9:52 a.m.)
Page 11
Upfront
berley Community Center this summer -- and donate proceeds to Right to Play, an international charity that provides coaches for 700,000 lowincome children in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America. "This is my first endeavor into entrepreneurship and philanthropy. We'll see how it goes," Parikh said of the project he started with six friends, Laces Soccer Camps. The other seven student recipients of Gunn @ Your Service grants, this year, are: buy a rototiller and vibration plate for his Eagle Scout project to renovate a beat-up path near the Palo Alto Duck Pond, which he hopes to complete over spring break in April plans to mount an earthquake-education campaign in Palo Alto will use the funds to help Gunn's African Literacy Club ship children's books for primary schools in sub-Saharan Africa who will provide sheet music and music stands for Gunn musicians performing for patients at the Palo Alto Veterans' Health Care Center help Gunn's Asha Club run a fundraiser for Asha for Education, an organization that provides computers, food and education to orphans in Bangalore, India flutes to loan to music students in an afterschool music program at
Courtesy of Lily Tsai
Costano School in East Palo Alto. In the program, Gunn Music@ Costano, eight Gunn students go to Costano once a week to teach music, including flute, piano and trumpet, to more than 20 participating Costano students. will ship academic books to South Sudan in cooperation with Sudan-
cide but also about genocidal acts that are being committed even now," Allen said. Gunn, aimed at spreading the word against genocide through efforts like letterwriting to politicians. The club plans to collect books around town to send to schools in South Sudan. "Due to the high cost of shipping, we can only send high-level books, such as college and AP textbooks," she said. Grossman will use her grant to augment her long-standing project of helping establish libraries in primary schools in sub-Saharan Africa. That effort -- which she launched at the age of 12 -- has grown into the award-winning nonprofit Spread the Words. The organization has established libraries serving 99 African villages and primary schools where before there were none. organized Gunn@Your Service two years ago, and this is the group's second round of grant-making. letter that goes out to parents early in the year and through a Yahoo group email list. it easy for kids and families to do community service, promoting it said. "Different kids want to do service in different ways." Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.
Gunn High School junior Lily Tsai plays the piano with Juan, a student at Costano School in East Palo Alto.
EDUCATION
Gunn program backs student `social entrepreneurs'
Gunn@Your Service funds local trail repair, global philanthropy ventures
G
by Chris unn High School sophomore Arjun Parikh just got his start-up funded -- an initiative that combines his love of soccer with an impulse to give. Parikh is one of eight student grant
Kenrick recipients of Gunn@Your Service, a kind of parent booster club for community service that awards grants to "social entrepreneurs." He plans to use the $200 to help launch a youth soccer camp at Cub-
Tsai said she and her sister Stephanie began teaching piano and violin at Costano three years ago, after Stephanie Tsai visited the school with the Gunn orchestra. "Last year, we decided that since so many students in the afterschool program wanted to participate and we, as only two people, didn't have enough time to teach them all, we would try to bring in more Gunn music students to teach. "Thus was the start of Gunn Music@Costano," Tsai said. "This year we have eight students participating." Tsai said she'll try to buy four flutes, which would enable half the Costano flute students at a time to take the instrument home. The Palo Alto Unified School District has lent the program violins and cellos, she said. Allen said she got interested in Sudan after taking a class at Gunn selves: the sociology of genocide," with teacher Ronen Habib. "We not only learned about the causes and terrible effects of geno-
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Page 12
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Upfront
Caltrain
(continued from page 3)
Alberto Rodriguez
Carlos Aguilar
Liliana Lopez
Drug bust
(continued from page 3)
Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office for assistance, who subsequently contacted the DEA San Jose Resident Office, according to the joint-agency announcement. Agents found what they believed was a methamphetamine-conversion laboratory, where methamphetamine was being converted to an "ice" or crystal form. Ice methamphetamine has the appearance that is often described as that of broken glass or shattered ice and is ingested by smoking. DEA spokesperson Special Agent Casey Rettig said the investigation is still in the preliminary stages. No charges have been filed so far in the Palo Alto burglary and iPad thefts, she said. Palo Alto police are deferring all media inquiries to the DEA due to the magnitude of the investigation. Tompkins said Palo Alto police investigators deserve commenda-
tions for their work in uncovering the drugs. Two of the officers were experienced in this type of case and knew what to look for, he said. Methamphetamine -- also called crank or speed -- is a potentially addictive drug that creates an intense
The three people arrested in connection with the 750 pounds of methamphetamine are believed to have ties to a Mexican drug-trafficking organization.
euphoria or "rush" when snorted, smoked or injected, according to the National Institutes of Health. District Attorney Jeff Rosen has estimated about 100 pounds of methamphetamine is seized in the county annually, Tompkins said.
provide "independent utility" -- that is, benefits that would be experienced even if the entire system isn't built. At the top of Caltrain's wish list is its long-standing plan to electrify its corridor -- an improvement that officials say would greatly boost the popular but cash-strapped agency's ridership and revenue figures. Caltrain currently doesn't have dedicated funding and relies heavily on contributions from the three agencies that comprise its board of directors -- the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans). At a March 1 meeting of Palo Alto City Council's Rail Committee, Murphy called electrification "critically important" for the agency's plan to close its structural deficit. The electrification project would also have a major impact on high-speed rail, which eventually would run along the Caltrain corridor. Prior to the entire line being completed, however, highspeed-rail passengers would disembark in San Jose and then have to transfer to Caltrain to reach San Francisco. Murphy said Caltrain's diesel trains would not be able to support the influx of transferring riders, which he pegged at about 14,000 a
day. "Our ability to add service to support new passengers is very contained," Murphy said. "If we electrify the system, we would be able to accommodate those passengers who get off at San Jose." Caltrain estimates the electrification of the corridor to cost about $785 million. Other priority projects on the agency's list include new electric trains ($440 million) and an advanced signal system ($231 million). Murphy said a similar conversation about early investment opportunities is taking place in southern California, where seven transportation agencies have already signed a memorandum of understanding listing their preferences for these opportunities. The conversation between Caltrain and the high-speed rail over early investment opportunities is taking place at a time when there are still disagreements between the two agencies over what the rail line would ultimately look like. Caltrain has embraced a proposal by U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, state Sen. Joe Simitian, DPalo Alto, and state Assemblyman Rich Gordon, D-Menlo Park, to create a "blended system" in which Caltrain and high-speed rail share two tracks on the Peninsula. Murphy said a recent study indicated that a blended design could work and that the shared tracks would accommodate up to 10 trains per hour (six Caltrain trains
and four high-speed trains) in each direction if the system includes passing tracks or eight trains per hour (six Caltrain trains and two high-speed trains) if it does not. But last month, the rail authority released a revised program Environmental Impact Report for the Bay Area-to-Central Valley segment of the line that focuses on the highly controversial four-track system -- a design that according to the document could require Alma Street in Palo Alto to narrow. On Feb. 15, the rail authority released a statement saying it is still considering the blended design and that its revised 2012 business plan will highlight this approach. Palo Alto Councilman Pat Burt, who chairs the Peninsula Cities Consortium, said any agreement between cities, Caltrain and the rail authority over early-investment opportunities should include provisions explicitly calling for mitigation of project impacts (including noise, vibration and traffic) and stipulating that the rail authority's project-level Environmental Impact Report (which focuses on specific segments and includes more engineering details than the "program-level" EIR) focus on the blended option. The rail committee is scheduled to continue its discussion about early-investment opportunities on Thursday, March 15. Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
Page 13
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Pulse
POLICE CALLS
Palo Alto
March 1-7
Violence related Assault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Attempted suicide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle related Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Driving w/suspended license . . . . . . . . .2 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Vehicle accident/major injury . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .7 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .5 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Possession of paraphernalia. . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Casualty/fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Concealed weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Misc. penal code violation . . . . . . . . . . .1 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Possession of stolen property . . . . . . . .1 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .2 Trespassing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
A weekly compendium of vital statistics
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Optional ZUMBA� class at 8:00 AM
Oshman Family JCC, Schultz Cultural Arts Hall 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Educating Women to be Independent Thinkers
SYMPOSIUM COMMITTEE
Stephanie Oshman, Chair; Riki Dayan, Co-Chair; Sonny Hurst; Sheryl Klein; Hilary Luros; Barbara Oshman; Lana Portnov; Orli Rinat; Nancy Rossen; Carol Saal and Eta Somekh
$55 M, $65 NM
Includes continental breakfast, workshops, catered lunch and keynote
Co-sponsored by: Allergan, Crescent Capital, Moldaw Family Residences, Stanford Hospital Health Library, University Chiropractic and Women's Health at Stanford
Register online www.paloaltojcc.org/breathe
Menlo Park
March 1-7
Violence related Assault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle related Driving w/suspended license . . . . . . . . .3 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .4 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Alcohol or drug related Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Miscellaneous Bad checks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Information case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Meet citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Property for destruction . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Resisting arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Threats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Trespassing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Violation of a court order . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
To Fun. To Growth. To Learning.
Moldaw Family Residences, a leader in senior living, celebrates everything you love about life: Warm friendships. Lively cultural events. Amazing dining, from gourmet to casual. Stunning residences. Valet, housekeeping and concierge services. All with superb health care. You also enjoy free membership to the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center. Moldaw is a gathering place for all generations, all faiths, all interests. We're all about living life to the fullest. Call 877-497-0463 to learn more.
Atherton
March 1-7
Theft related Attempted burglary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle related Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Parking/driving violation . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Suspicious vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .1 Vehicle code violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Alcohol or drug related Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Animal call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE:
How to Maintain Your Financial Balance
Join us for a financial seminar:
www.RetireAtMoldaw.com
Page 14
Continuing Care Certificate of Authority #227 RCFE: 435294340
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(continued on next page)
Transitions
Memorial Services
A memorial service for Ann C. Beyer will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 17, at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 670 East Meadow Drive, Palo Alto. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Pathways Hospice of Sunnyvale. A celebration of life for Mary Balch Kennedy will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 25, at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Children's Health Council or a charity of choice. A celebration of the life of Ed Leon, a 1955 graduate for the Stanford Graduate School of Business, will be held Thursday, March 22 at Stanford Memorial Church at 2 p.m., followed by a reception at the Faculty Club. Shuttle service will be available. Donations in his memory may be made to the Bay Area Association of Kidney Patients, P.O. Box 2332 Menlo Park, CA 94026 BAAKP.org, or to Stanford Football, Dept. of Athletics, Stanford, CA 94305-6150 or the American Cancer Society, 1710 Webster, Oakland 94612, designating the Courageous Kids program, a Mother's Day program where Ed volunteered for several years, helping children with cancer have a "day off from cancer."
James W. Jarrett
June 25, 1944-Feb. 22, 2012
Longtime Palo Alto resident Jim Jarrett died unexpectedly during a trek on Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He was 67. A retired Intel Corporation vice president, he had a broad influence on the company for 28 years. Jim joined Intel in 1979 as the first manager of Corporate Communications and later became vice president of Investor Relations. He served as president of Intel China from 1996 to 2000. While in China, he was named a governor of the American Chamber of Commerce, a board member of the U.S. Information Technology Office and chairman of the China Chapter of the Semiconductor Industry Association. He later became Intel's first vice president of Global Public Policy and testified before Congress on the importance of improving American science and technology education. Jim retired from Intel in 2008. In recent years he continued to work on public policy issues, working closely with Andy Grove and his foundation. Prior to joining Intel, Jim served with the U.S. Army at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York, and later worked as a communications consultant. He graduated from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio in 1966. He was an avid photographer and enjoyed cycling, hiking, music and travel. Jim is survived by his wife of 43 years Laurie; daughters Tracey, Alison and Lindsay and her husband Justin; brother John Jarrett(Carol) and many beloved family members. He is preceded in death by his parents Andrew and Regina Jarrett and his sister Joanne Jarrett Beal. A celebration of Jim's life will be held at 10AM on Friday March 9th at the First Congregational Church, 1985 Louis Road, Palo Alto. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to www.abilitiesunited.org or www.kenyon.edu.
PA I D OBITUARY
Births
Salmon Sim and Lianne Ong of Menlo Park, a daughter, March 1. Mark and Lisa Mitchell of Menlo Park, a son, March 6.
Lasting Memories
An online directory of obituaries and remembrances. Search obituaries, submit a memorial, share a photo.
Visit
PaloAltoOnline.com/ obituaries
Pulse
(continued from previous page)
Citizen assist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Hazard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .3 Suspicious person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Town ordinance violation . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Welfare check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Nenita Lugue Francoeur
Nenita Lugue Francoeur passed on peacefully surrounded by her family. She is survived by her mother Maria Lugue, her daughter Maribel Briosos, her siblings Aida, Leticia and Armando Lugue, grandchildren Marc Briosos, and Ali and Noorayn Jafri. She will be missed by her loving family especially her niece Shareen.
PA I D O B I T UA RY
VIOLENT CRIMES
Palo Alto
1700 block Embarcadero Road, 3/5, 4:32 p.m.; domestic violence/battery. Unlisted block Roosevelt Circle, 3/5, 5:05 p.m.; attempted suicide/adult. Unlisted block Arastradero Road, 3/6, 2:53 p.m.; assault with a deadly weapon.
Hanon Chan
Hanon Chan was born in San Francisco November 21, 1922, and died peacefully at home February 16, 2012 following a long battle with Parkinson's disease. He enjoyed building things, such as built-in cabinets, lighting fixtures and the second story addition for his Palo Alto home, and listening to classical music, mostly large scale orchestral classical music of romantic era (Dvorak and Tchaikovsky!) played at high sound levels on his home-built hi-fi. Other interests included traveling, mainly to Hong Kong and China. The son of Chan Sing and Anna Louie, widower of Marie Chan (n�e Fong), he is survived by his sisters, Mildred Chu and Mary Seid, son Jeffrey and daughter Colleen. The family will host a private remembrance celebration. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Roller & Hapgood & Tinney Funeral Home of Palo Alto, CA.
PA I D O B I T UA RY
Martha Nordling Eakland
July 9, 1920 � February 21, 2012
Martha Nordling Eakland (Markey), born July 9, 1920 in Los Angeles, CA.; died February 21, 2012 after an injury. An 18year resident at The Terraces at Los Altos, she was proud of her Scandinavian background, with both parents of Swedish descent. Survived by sons Peter (Rocklin, CA), William (Salt Lake City, UT), and Henry (Piedmont, CA), and daughter Ann Geismar (Brooklyn, NY), as well as five grandchildren and two stepgrandchildren., and preceded in death by husband Edward H. Eakland, Jr. (Ned). She set down lasting roots in the many places she lived, including Menlo Park, La Ca�ada, CA; Rye, NY; and Salt Lake City. Proud of her connection to Stanford, where she was a member of Delta Gamma sorority and graduated in 1941, Markey was a devoted follower of its sports programs, especially women's basketball, which awarded her an after-the-fact Block S for her participation in a game with Cal that was the school's first intercollegiate women's basketball game. She enjoyed the many friendships that she had with The Terraces residents and staff, and kept in contact with distant and close friends of family the oldfashioned way: letters and telephone calls. Also a devoted member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Menlo Park, where she served on the altar guild for many years. Her optimistic outlook and determination to live life with an adventurous and charitable spirit will be missed by all who knew her. A memorial service will be held at Trinity Church on March 31 at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Menlo Park, Planned Parenthood, or Delta Gamma Foundation.
PA I D
PA I D OBITUARY
Menlo Park
1200 block Hollyburne Avenue, 2/24, 11:10 p.m.; assault.
Give blood for life!
bloodcenter.stanford.edu
Johanna H. Willemsen
Feb. 21, 1918-Feb. 25, 2012
Johanna Willemsen passed away peacefully on February 25, 2012 at Channing House in Palo Alto. She will be dearly missed and lovingly remembered by her niece, Louise Murray, and Louise's lifepartner, Liza Fiol-Matta; her nieces and nephew in Holland (Nicolien, Marijke, and Cees Meeuwse; Rie and Liesbeth Willemsen); her grandnephews, David and Olivier te Boekhorst, and his wife Jennifer Reck. Johanna grew up in the Netherlands and worked as a nurse during World War II. After the war, Johanna worked for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration in the DP camps in Germany, then was hired by the Jewish Agency as a nurse on the ships which relocated persons displaced by the war. In the early 1950s she immigrated to the United States and later graduated from UCSF with a degree in public health nursing. Johanna touched the lives of many families during her years of service at PARCA in San Mateo, especially her loving friends of the Mothers Support Group she founded to help mothers of developmentally disabled children. Her family thanks the nursing and residential staff at Channing House for their wonderful care and professional support. We will miss her deeply.
OBITUARY
Page 15
Editorial
A grandiose proposal needing careful study
Arrillaga project will raise important questions over how to trade off the negative impacts of a large development with the community benefits it provides
Spectrum
Editorials, letters and opinions
FollowLin' your dreams
Editor, Go Knicks! Like many people who live in Palo Alto, I have now become a Knicks fan. Growing up in Los Angeles I never thought I'd write that sentence, but I love basketball and I love Palo Alto High School so there was no avoiding this startling convergence after "Linsanity" began. The Jeremy Lin story is remarkable from just about every angle, but it is especially compelling from the heart of Palo Alto High School where I work as the teacher librarian. For those readers who haven't been interacting with any media lately, 2006 Palo Alto High School graduate Jeremy Lin is now the starting point guard for the previously woeful-now-somewhat-successful New York Knicks. Before he reached such lofty heights he studied in the Paly library (I have eye witnesses) and guided the Paly team to a state basketball championship. Jeremy's inspiring story reads like a best-selling young adult novel where the underdog athlete shows grace under pressure, overcomes stereotypes and thanks his family and coaches in the end. It's a narrative suitable for all our young people as long as we tell it right, because in Palo Alto, where there is so much flashy success, sometimes it's hard to realize that the ordinary can be extraordinary too. The message shouldn't be: Harvard, NBA or bust! Instead we should encourage the attainment of meaningful goals and celebrate students' personal achievements with genuine and meaningful fanfare. And if you don't believe me, listen to Jeremy Lin. In an interview with ESPN, Jeremy advised young people to follow their own dreams. He said, don't be like me, be yourself. So let's cheer for all our students who are working hard to find their place in the world and struggling to find success. Their ups and downs may not be in the public eye, but they are tremendously important and deserve our encouragement and rapt attention. Go Vikings! Rachel Kellerman Emerson Street 30 percent transit goal were ever reached, the project cannot support even the most conservative estimate of the needs of its employees, residents, customers and clients. Favorable city projections depend on 57 spaces in parking structures that no longer have room; more than 100 downtown employees are already on a waiting list for $400-per-year permits. And, there is no control over the employee density. A Facebook-like use or another high-tech start-up could double or triple the number of employees and hence, the real parking needed. Unfortunately, these problems are glossed over in the environmental documents prepared by the City. I encourage the Weekly to take a much deeper, more investigative look into these growing problems and changing conditions in a downtown already woefully short of the parking essential to support itself. Ken Alsman Ramona Street
T
he makings for an unusual public-private-nonprofit development that would transform the city's western gateway at El Camino and University Avenue into a vibrant office and performing-arts complex was unveiled with much excitement at Monday night's City Council meeting. The concept, presented by the city staff, is the result of months of behind-the-scenes discussions with Palo Alto billionaire developer and philanthropist John Arrillaga exploring his interest in helping the city achieve a state-of-the-art performance venue close to both downtown and Stanford. Arrillaga, one of the wealthiest people in the world due to his ownership and development of office parks throughout Silicon Valley, is best known for his extraordinary support of Stanford, his alma mater, through donating the funds for new buildings and then personally overseeing their construction. He is widely recognized as the person most responsible for funding and building the athletic facilities that have made the Stanford athletic program the top-ranked in the nation. While Arrillaga recently funded the construction of the new Burgess Gym in Menlo Park, he has never been publicly involved in any major community project in his hometown. It is exciting that he is interested in exploring that possibility. Only a vague outline of a proposal is currently in front of the public, but that will change as a city-funded study examines all aspects of redeveloping the area that includes the train station, MacArthur Park restaurant, the Red Cross and the transit center. But the gist of it is that Arrillaga would be given the zoning changes and exceptions necessary to build a large, multi-story office building at the current site of MacArthur Park (the historic building would be moved to another, undetermined, location), an underground parking garage and a separate performing-arts theater. Once completed, the office building would be donated to Stanford (the land is already owned by the university) and the theater would be donated to TheatreWorks, which would make it their permanent home. TheatreWorks currently splits its time between the Lucie Stern theater and the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, a dual existence that they are eager to end. A theater in the heart of Palo Alto, near Caltrain, El Camino Real and Stanford, would be dream come true for the company. "Try to imagine that you're living in two different hotels in different cities, and you have to move every couple of months," TheatreWorks Artistic Director Robert Kelley told the Weekly in a recent interview. But to make this dream come true, the city would have to turn to its controversial "planned community" zoning exception, which allows a developer to exceed normal zoning limits in exchange for "community benefits" deemed by the City Council to be a good trade-off. In this case, the question would be just how tall a building or how much additional traffic congestion should be accepted in order to obtain a permanent home for a single nonprofit organization and a beautiful redevelopment of a rather disheveled part of the downtown. Another issue will be whether the proposed theater should be exclusively for TheatreWorks or whether the city should retain a role in its management and use, such as is the case with the Mountain View performing arts center. On Monday, the City Council gushed about the project as they voted 8-0 (Mayor Yiaway Yeh is on a Sister City visit in Japan) to spend $250,000 on design and environmental analysis of the proposal. The money would be taken from a $2.5 million fund provided by Stanford as a "public benefit" during the recent approval process of the $3.2 billion expansion of its hospitals. Before anyone rushes to either support or oppose this proposal, as is apt to happen in Palo Alto, it would be wise for the community to await more details and the results of the study. Any time an "out-ofthe-box" proposal is put forth there is need for lots of public discussion and negotiation. For John Arrillaga, who is accustomed to working out of the public eye when negotiating his vision with Stanford, it is a courageous step to put forth a project like this to the city of Palo Alto, knowing that any proposal of this magnitude will involve lots of public input and a need to build consensus. An opportunity to create something good for the community is in front of us as a concept. Now the hard work begins to flesh out the details, examine the impacts and mitigations, and hopefully, develop a final plan that achieves the goals of both Arrillaga and the community.
This week on Town Square
Town Square is an online discussion forum at www.PaloAltoOnline.com
Posted March 7 at 11:43 a.m. by neighbor, a resident of the Greenmeadow neighborhood: This is absurd (re: "Retired officers top Palo Alto's list of earners"). While it seems fair to allow some accumulation of sick leave/vacation, it shouldn't roll over forever. Makes no sense. These salaries are excessive by any standard. There are occupations with much higher fatality rates than either police or firefighters, so that argument just doesn't hold in justifying this level of compensation. Please don't lump all public employees and public unions into one -- the rate of compensation, level of contribution to retirement, rate of retirement pay and amount contributed to benefits varies greatly. Some public employees have not seen raises for years, some have been furloughed and/or taken pay cuts, many have been laid off. ...
YOUR TURN
The Palo Alto Weekly encourages comments on our coverage or on issues of local interest.
What do you think? What would you suggest to control costs of retiree medical benefits?
Submit letters to the editor of up to 250 words to letters@paweekly.com. Include your name, address and daytime phone number so we can reach you. We reserve the right to edit contributions for length, objectionable content, libel and factual errors known to us. Anonymous letters will generally not be accepted. You can also participate in our popular interactive online forum, Town Square, at our community website at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Read blogs, discuss issues, ask questions or express opinions with you neighbors any time, day or night. Submitting a letter to the editor or guest opinion constitutes a granting of permission to the Palo Alto Weekly and Embarcadero Media to also publish it online, including in our online archives and as a post on Town Square. For more information contact Editor Jocelyn Dong or Online Editor Tyler Hanley at editor@paweekly.com or 650-326-8210.
Downtown Parking woes
Editor, The Alma and Lytton office building featured in a recent edition is a nice building but it, along with several other projects in the pipeline will seriously add to already intolerable parking problems that dramatically impact the livability of our homes and neighborhoods. Yes, the developer has made lastminute promises to try to address the project's parking deficiencies -- but the parking will still fall far short of the need. Even if the
Page 16
Check out Town Square!
Hundreds of local topics are being discussed by local residents on Town Square, a reader forum sponsored by the Weekly on our community website at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Post your own comments, ask questions, read the Editor's blog or just stay up on what people are talking about around town!
On Deadlind:
`A world without newspapers?'
W
by Jay Thorwaldson hat would it be like to exist in a world -- or a community like Palo Alto -- without newspapers? That question comes from a journalist from Vienna, Austria, who is at Stanford University this year as a member of the John S. Knight Foundation Journalism Fellowship program. The journalist, Anita Zielina, spoke at Stanford in late January on "A World Without Newspapers?" "The question mark is the most important part of the sentence for me," she said in a follow-up interview. That's because "I actually don't believe in those people who feel that in 10 years, 15 years, 20 years -- put in whatever time that you like -- there won't be any newspapers left." Her talk has a subhead: "How journalists and journalism are changing and why this is not the end." But newspapers won't be the same in a world of the Internet, electronic devices and changes in how people get their news. To survive, she warns, newspapers throughout America and elsewhere need urgently to adapt in four vitally important areas: declining revenues, changing reader/user behavior, more and new competition, and a "psychological crisis" that some say resembles panic. As newspapers' financial losses mount, the crisis may be paralyzing managers and editors in their ability to respond creatively to the radical changes underway. The most important challenge will be how to engage the readers or view-
ers as habits change with technology, she says. "The word `newspaper' might not be absolutely true anymore, because a lot might happen, or is going to happen, online or on tablets or in X. But I don't believe that journalism or the newspaper per se is coming to an end or dying." Yet journalists and managers have a huge challenge to overcome if good, trustworthy, vigorous journalism is to survive, she warns. And the question mark is still hanging there. It embraces concerns about the implications for society, even democracy, if newspapers wither and die. To those of us who have been part of major changes in news gathering and delivery over the past two or three decades, this sweeping change shouldn't be a surprise. There have been a number of journalists, editors and newspaper publishers who have thought deeply about the subject, and even embraced the brave new world of innovation. But no one yet has come up with a winning formula to make the Internet pay enough to sustain the traditional news operation as we journalists, readers and viewers have known it. Zielina also has no magic formula, but she has some solid suggestions and one certainty. "I see the necessity to address certain challenges and to, yes, reinvent not only the profession of journalism but also think again why we do journalism and what are the important parts that we need to preserve and the important ethical questions that we have to address," she says. "And I think there's also this bigger idea that every journalist who has enjoyed a classic journalism education or worked at classic media outlets in one way or another wants to fulfill this image of journalism as a democratic value, something that helps society move on and move forward, and that helps `normal people' -- quo-
tation marks -- control the powerful and find out about corruption and issues that otherwise no one would find out about. "Those are values that still are important. They were important 50 years ago and still are important now and I think they still will be, and should be, important in the future. "We should embrace them whether we do journalism on paper or on a computer screen or anywhere else." The "virtues and values" include the tradition of attempting to be as balanced and fair -- even if full objectivity is an impossibility -- as possible, she said. But getting from today's changes to a stable news environment will be tricky, and there's one huge factor blocking the way. "I think that what's happening now is a mix of certain emotions and feelings. One of them is, understandably, panic -- panic of journalists and media managers who see their business models fading, who see that they will need to have to adapt but don't really have a strategy how to adapt. "It's important that we should start a discussion and think about what makes journalism journalism, or defines journalism compared to random people -- citizen journalists or whatever you might call them -- just publishing things on their blogs or on Facebook." She says the discussion should include a keystone question: "What defines an `online newspaper' compared to social media or social networks?" Zielina, a lifelong resident of Vienna except for some education-related absences, says she became interested in the future of newspapers gradually over the past seven years, since she began her professional career as one of a first generation of online journalists, working with a half-dozen others. Starting as a reporter, she eventually became editor of the Austrian politics
and education department. "The interesting part of that job was that we were still experimenting" compared to the essentially pre-defined environment of a newspaper office. "The difference with online is that you still had the possibility and the chance to develop what online journalism looks like -- not only the stories but thinking about ways to deal with life events, thinking about multi-media, thinking about trust and truth in a time when there is so much information out there that fact-checking becomes even more important than it was before. And how do you do it in this completely stressful online environment? "So questions like this, we just had to address them every day and were inventing new ways to do journalism." She began to change personally: "I'm still of course a reporter with my full heart, but I had a growing interest in deciding and thinking about how journalism in this new age of the Internet, this new age of online journalism, can and should look like. "I became, step by step without planning it, more of a thinker and developer of and about journalism than a journalist." In 2011 she got a job teaching online journalism -- "Media Convergence they called it" -- at the University of Applied Sciences in Vienna. That led her (with her husband) to the Knight Fellowship and Stanford. She says she loves the diversity and intellectual challenge of the Bay Area, and hopes to convey some of that back to Austria -- unless they opt to stay in the area. Former Weekly Editor Jay Thorwaldson can be emailed at jthorwaldson@paweekly. com with a copy to jaythor@well.com.
Streetwise
What are you doing to counteract the high price of gas?
Asked on Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Interviews and photographs by Cristina Wong.
Jason Fong
System engineer Embarcadero Road "Just drive less, I guess."
Victor Lewis
Worker at Safeway University Avenue "It's ridiculous, the gas prices are too high. It costs a lot of people a lot of money just to go back and forth from work."
Tony Reyes
Construction/engineer Middlefield Road "Definitely bike more. If I have to do some errands I'll go for a run with my dog. ... Also keeping up regular maintenance on your car helps, like the air pressure in your tires, changing air filters regularly to help your gas mileage improve."
Chandra Campbell
Peer educator Churchill Avenue "Carpooling and public transportation."
Tammy Austin
Peer educator Churchill Avenue "I'm also carpooling. ... Gas is really expensive for me."
Page 17
Our Preschool is an English-Japanese bilingual preschool. We provide children a great leaning experience in a warm, cheerful, and friendly environment. Our mission is to help families who are raising bilingual children as well as those who want their children to begin a second language at an early age.
701 East Meadow Drive, Palo Alto (650)-493-7672 www.SoraPreschool.com
Want to take advantage of the warm spring weather this year? Looking to get a jump on your studies? Try a bird identification class or a rowing class. Maybe a language class is the best fit. All the classes listed below are local, so give one a shot!
The Class Guide is published quarterly by the Palo Alto Weekly.
CLASS GUIDE
Uforia Studios 819 Ramona St., Palo Alto 650-329-8794 www.uforiastudios.com Uforia Studios specializes in dance (Zumba, Hip Hop, Bollywood, Hula Hooping), Strength and Sculpting (uDefine) and Spinning (uCycle). All fitness levels and abilities are welcome. Zohar Dance Company 4000 Middlefield Road, L-4, Palo Alto 650-494-8221 www.zohardance.org zohardance@gmail.com Founded in 1979, Zohar is unique in that it offers classes to adults in jazz, ballet and modern dance. Under the direction of Ehud and Daynee Krauss, the studio is known for its professional instructors and inspiring classes.
BUSINESS, WORK AND TECHNOLOGY
CareerGenerations 2225 E. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto 650-320-1639 info@CareerGenerations.com www.CareerGenerations.com CareerGenerations offers one-on-one and group sessions to meet specific career needs. CareerGenerations career coaches can help assess talents in the context of today's marketplace, generate career options, improve resumes and social-media profiles, design a successful search plan, and skillfully network, interview and negotiate salaries. Contact CareerGenerations for a free initial consultation.
shops to explore what dance/movement therapy is about, as well as a selection of comprehensive alternate training courses for professional development in becoming a dance/movement therapist. Most CMER courses provide continuing education credit as an approved provider of continuing education by the Board of Behavioral Sciences (#3888).
FOR THE DANCER
Beaudoin's School of Dance 464 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto 650-326-2184 www.Beaudoins-Studio.com Tap, ballet, ballroom and jazz dance classes available for children and adults. Special classes for boys and seniors. Center for Movement Education www.movement-education.org judy@movement-education.org Center for Movement Education (CMER) offers both one-day work-
Dance Connection 4000 Middlefield Road, L-5, Palo Alto 650-852-0418 www.danceconnectionpaloalto.com info@danceconnectionpaloalto.com Dance Connection offers graded classes for preschool to adult with a variety of programs to meet every dancer's needs. Ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, boys program, lyrical, pilates and combination classes are available for beginning to advanced levels. DanceVisions 4000 Middlefield Road, L-3, Palo Alto 650-858-2005 www.dancevisions.org info@danceaction.org DanceVisions, a nonprofit community dance center, offers classes from age 3 to adult. Classes range from modern to hip hop, lyrical, pilates, jazz, ballet, and contact improvisation. L'Ecole de Danse Cubberley Community Center, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto 650-327-4524 www.lecolededanse.net L'Ecole De Danse (School of Ballet) -- Vaganova and Cecchetti styles. Creative dance, pre-ballet and full curriculum for all levels starting at age 4-anda-half. Adult classes include beginning, intermediate and advanced.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Lucy Geever-Conroy, Flight Instructor and Advantage Aviation 1903 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto 650-493-5987 www.advantage-aviation.com Offering learn-to-fly seminars, private pilot ground school and flying lessons, along with free seminars for pilots.
HEALTH & FITNESS
American Red Cross: Silicon Valley Chapter 2731 North First St., San Jose 1-877-727-6771 www.siliconvalley-redcross.org Palo Alto Chapter: 400 Mitchell Lane, Palo Alto In a Red Cross First Aid class students learn CPR, choking rescue, bleeding control and treatment of burns, fractures, seizures and more. Adult CPR and First Aid Certificates. Locations in San Jose and Palo Alto.
650.321.1991 WWW.MID-PEN.COM
Spanish Immersion Program Pre-K After School Preparation for kindergarten Summer & Soccer Camps
650-493-4300 1611 Stanford Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306 www.amigosdepaloalto.com
Page 18
Class Guide
Andre's Boot Camp (ABC) www.andrestraining.com andre@andrestraining.com No two sessions are the same but every session will offer either circuit training or interval training. ABC is designed for those who enjoy multi-sport activities. A variety of athletic "toys" are used to make the classes both fun and challenging. Call, email or visit the website for more information. Betty Wright Swim Center at Abilities United 3864 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto 650-494-1480 www.AbilitiesUnited.org/BWSCwelcome bwsc@AbilitiesUnited.org Improve health and wellness through aquatic exercise and therapy in the fully accessible, public, warm-water (93 degree), indoor pool. Classes include aqua aerobics, aqua arthritis, back basics, body conditioning, Aichi yoga and prenatal. Physical therapy, personal training, Watsu and land massage by appointment. Group and private swim lessons. Be Yoga 440 Kipling St., Palo Alto 650-906-9016 www.be-yoga.com beyogapaloalto@gmail.com Friendly community yoga studio. Small class sizes, excellent instruction, reasonable prices. Also offered are workshops on ayurveda, reiki and meditation. California Yoga Center (Palo Alto) 541 Cowper St., Palo Alto 650-967-5702 www.californiayoga.com info@californiayoga.com The California Yoga Center offers classes for beginning to advanced students. With studios in Mountain View and Palo Alto, classes emphasize individual attention and cultivate strength, flexibility and relaxation. Ongoing yoga classes are scheduled every day and include special classes such as prenatal, back care and pranayama. Weekend workshops explore a variety of yoga-related topics. Darshana Yoga 654 High St., Palo Alto 650-325-YOGA www.darshanayoga.com Fresh yoga classes in Palo Alto. A blend of alignment and flow. Director Catherine De Los Santos has taught yoga in Palo Alto more than 25 years. Empowerment Boot Camp 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto 650-242-5073 www.empowerfit.com/ info@alaviefitness.com Empowerfit is different from other military-style boot camps. Visit the website or call to register. Studio Kicks 796A San Antonio Road, Palo Alto 650-855-9868
650-855-9869 (fax) www.studiokickspaloalto.com info@studiokickspaloalto.com Studio Kicks is a family fitness center offering high-energy cardio kickboxing classes and fun martial-arts training for kids 3 and 12 and up. Taught by owner/ instructor Richard Branden, six-time world champion and original stunt cast member for the "Power Rangers." Those interested can stop by for a free class. ture are also covered. The instructor, a college-credentialed teacher, lived and studied in Germany through Stanford, from where she later received a master's degree.
21st Century Smart
Nursery through High School Since 1984
Taijiquan Tutelage of Palo Alto 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto 650-327-9350 www.ttopa.com mjchan@ttopa.com Taijiquan Tutelage of Palo Alto. Established in 1973. Learn the classical Yang Chengfu style of Taijiquan (T'ai chi ch'uan). Beginning classes start monthly. Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA 3391 Middlefield Road, YES Hall, Palo Alto www.california.usa.taoist.org 650-396-9244 paloalto.ca@taoist.org The Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA offers classes designed to improve balance, strength and flexibility while promoting relaxation and good health. Beginner classes in Taoist Tai Chi internal art of Tai Chi Chuan are offered for all ages and fitness levels in Palo Alto. First class is free. Call or visit the website for class schedule and more information. A nonprofit organization with nationally accredited instructors. Yoga at All Saints' Episcopal Church 555 Waverley St., Palo Alto 650-322-4528 www.asaints.org Kundalini-style yoga, combining asana (physical poses), breathing exercises and meditation. Practice is best done on an empty stomach. Please bring a mat and blanket and wear comfortable, easy-to-move-in clothes. If floor work is difficult, exercises can be modified to be done in a chair. All ages. No registration necessary. Every Saturday, 8-9 a.m., in the Parish Hall. $5/person.
International School of the Peninsula (ISTP) 151 Laura Lane, Palo Alto 650-251-8500 www.istp.org admissions@istp.org ISTP offers extensive after-school language classes at its two Palo Alto locations. Classes offered in French, Mandarin and Spanish to preschool students (3 to 5 years old). Additional classes taught in Arabic, Farsi, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese and Russian for elementary and middle school students.
PARENTS ONLY
The Peninsula Parentsplace Koret Family Resource Center, 200 Channing Ave., Palo Alto 650-688-3040 www.parentsplaceonline.org /peninsula SandraSt@jfcs.org The Peninsula Parentsplace offers parenting classes on subjects ranging from strategies for managing picky eaters to making the switch from diapers.
Los Altos & Mountain View waldorfpeninsula.org
MIND AND SPIRIT
Ananda Palo Alto 2171 El Camino Real, Palo Alto 650-323-3363 http://www.anandapaloalto.org Ananda Palo Alto offers classes on meditation, chanting and yoga.
AT
C H I L D R E N ' S H E A LT H C O U N C I L
650 Clark Way, Palo Alto, CA 94304
650.688.3605 | info@sandhillschool.org
MUSIC, ARTS AND CRAFTS
Art for Well Beings 2460 Park Blvd., Palo Alto 650-776-8297 artforwellbeings.org me@judyg.com Art for Well Beings (AFWB) offers art classes especially welcoming people with special needs. AFWB is open to the public. Drop-in or sessions are available. All materials provided. Please call to register. Art with Emily 402 El Verano Ave., Palo Alto 650-856-9571 www.artwithemily.com emilyjeanyoung@gmail.com Emily Young teaches mixed-media, multicultural art lessons for children at her fully equipped studio in Palo Alto. Semi-private and private lessons available. Art Works Studio 595 Lincoln Ave., Palo Alto 650-796-1614 www.artworkspaloalto.com artworkspaloalto@gmail.com Art Works Studio offers a variety of fineart classes for kids, as well as summer camps. (continued on next page)
w w w. s a n d h i l l s c h o o l . o r g
For young minds,
one size doesn't fit all.
Compassionate, skilled support for your child's learning needs.
Grades K-4 5:1 student/teacher ratio Curriculum supports social-emotional and academic learning Outstanding support from Children's Health Council professionals
JUST FOR SENIORS
Avenidas 450 Bryant St., Palo Alto 650-289-5400 http://www.avenidas.org/ Avenidas offers classes from balance, line dancing and back fitness to dementia caregiving and computer. Membership costs, fees and class listing included on the website.
LANGUAGE COURSES
German Language Class 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto 650-329-3752 www.paadultschool.org adultschool@pausd.org Learn to speak, read, and write German, with an emphasis on conversation. Basic grammar and Germanic cul-
Parent Information Night: MAR 29 & APR 18 6:30 � 7:30 PM Pre-register online!
Palo Alto Prep
Palo Alto Prep is a unique private high school designed to help students succeed in every aspect of life. We believe that school should be enjoyable and every student experience the pride of personal and academic accomplishment.
Empowerment through Accountability Provide 8 to 1 student-teacher ratio Deliver innovative and creative programs that develop academic and behavioral success Offer challenging academic opportunities Enhance the self-esteem of our students through outdoor activities and programs Create a supportive environment and safe community College prep curriculum 95% college enrollment
YEAR-ROUND ENROLLMENT
UC/A-G certified Certified by State of California as a Non-Public School
We've moved to a new location into a brand new beautiful building! Celebrating Our
TEACHING. LEARNING. CARING
2462 Wyandotte Street, Mountain View
www.paloaltoprep.com 650.493.7071
25th Year!
Page 19
Class Guide
(continued from previous page) Children's Music Workshops PO Box 60756, Palo Alto, CA 94306 650-306-0332 www.alisonsmusiclessons.com white.alison@gmail.com Kids music classes and private lessons for guitar, piano and voice. Locations in Palo Alto and Mountain View. Music for special-needs children too. Lingling Yang Violin Studio Palo Alto 650-456-7648 linglingviolin.blogspot.com linglingy@gmail.com Offers private violin instruction for children 7 and up and adults of all levels. Year-round enrollment. Audition required for intermediate and advanced violin players. Taught by classically trained violinist and very experienced
violin teacher. Her students include award winners at violin competitions and members of PACO, CYS and ECYS. including publishing media on the Web, podcasting, digital editing, field production, TV studio production, Photoshop for photographers, citizen journalism and autobiographical digital stories. One-on-one tutoring is also available. Biweekly free orientation sessions and tours.
SCHOOL DAYS
Challenger School 3880 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto 650-213-8245 ChallengerSchool.com Challenger School is an independent private school that focuses on academic excellence, individual achievement, critical thinking skills and self-reliance. Challenger students achieve scores on average in the 90th percentile on the national Stanford Achievement Test (SAT). Tour the campus to learn about Challenger's preschool through eighth grade programs. Amigos de Palo Alto 1611 Stanford Ave., Palo Alto 650-493-4300 www.amigosdepaloalto.com Amigos de Palo is a full Spanish-immersion preschool. Offering parents a safe environment where they may leave their children, both for childcare and to begin learning from bilingual instructors how to speak and learn Spanish the same way their native language was learned -- naturally. Preschool sessions are offered Mon.-Fri. (1-4:30 p.m.); Mon., Wed. and Fri. (8:30 a.m.-11:45 p.m. or 1-4:30 p.m.); and Tue.-Thu. (8:30 a.m.11:45 p.m. or 1-4:30 p.m.). Children's Pre-School Center (CPSC) 4000 Middlefield Road, T-1, Palo Alto 650-493-5770 www.cpsccares.org Students will experience the joy of finger painting, the thrill of dancing, the pleasure of building towers, and the satisfaction of mastering pre-literacy and pre-math skills with the support and guidance of a dedicated, loving, multicultural teaching staff. Emerson School 2800 W. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto 650-424-1267 650-856-2778 (fax) www.headsup.org pacdc@headsup.org Emerson School, a private, non-sectarian program for grades 1-8, operates on a year-round full-day schedule providing superior academic preparation, international courses (Chinese, Spanish) and individualized Montessori curriculum. Visit website for details. Helios New School 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto 650-223-8690 www.heliosns.org admin@heliosns.org Constructivist K-4 secular program
for gifted children. Individualized curriculum including foreign language, science, fine arts and social-emotional learning.
Manzana Music School Palo Alto 650-799-7807 www.manzanamusicschool.com/ ManzanaMusicSchool@yahoo.com Private and group lessons for children and adults on guitar, violin, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, vocal, arranging and music theory. Midpeninsula Community Media Center 900 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto 650-494-8686 www.communitymediacenter.net info@midpenmedia.org The Media Center offers classes every month in a wide range of media arts,
Music with Toby Palo Alto 415-513-3158 www.music wtoby.com Toby Branz offers private voice and violin lessons in Palo Alto and San Francisco. She received her master's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2010 and a postgraduate diploma in 2011. New Mozart School of Music 305 N. California Ave., Palo Alto 650-324-2373 www.newmozartschool.com info@newmozartschool.com New Mozart provides private lessons on all instruments for all ages and early-childhood music classes for children 2-7 years of age. Opus1 Music Studio 2800 W. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto 650-625-9955 musicopus1.com musicopus1@gmail.com Opus1 Music Studio is offering private and group music lessons for all kinds of instruments to ages 2 and up. Beginners to advanced level. Pacific Art League 688 Ramona St., Palo Alto 650-321-3891 www.pacificartleague.org gallery@pacificartleague.org Art classes and workshops by qualified, experienced instructors for students from beginners to advanced and even non-artists. Classes in collage, oil painting, portraits and sketching, life drawing, acrylic or watercolor and brush painting. Sculpture. Registration is ongoing. Palo Alto Art Center 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto 650-329-2366 www.cityofpaloalto.org/enjoy lynn.stewart@cityofpaloalto.org Classes and workshops for children and adults in ceramics, painting, drawing, jewelry, book arts, printmaking, collage and more. Those interested can register online or stop by the Art Center for a class brochure.
International School of the Peninsula Cohn Campus (grades 1-8): 151 Laura Lane, Palo Alto Cooper Campus (nursery): 3233 Cowper St., Palo Alto 650-251-8500 www.istp.org istp@istp.org After-school programs for preschool, elementary- and middle-school students. Classes include French cooking, Asian cooking, chess, science, robotics, Chinese dance, art and craft, watercolor, gymnastics, soccer and multi-sports. Milestones Preschool 3864 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto 650-618-3325 www.milestonespreschool.org preschool@AbilitiesUnited.org Milestones Preschool, a developmental program, provides children aged 2-5 years a fun and educational environment that promotes their development of the social skills, independent thinking, intellectual growth, and positive self-image they need to succeed in kindergarten and later in life. NAEYC accredited. State of California License 434407984. Palo Alto Prep 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto 650-493-7071 www.paloaltoprep.com Palo Alto Prep is a unique private high school designed to help students succeed in every aspect of life with confidence and success. Sand Hill School 650 Clark Way, Palo Alto 650-688-3605 www.sandhillschool.org info@sandhillschool.org For young minds, one size doesn't fit all. At Sand Hill School, find what fits best for each child. At Children's Health Council. Grades K-3. 6:1 student/teacher ratio. Sora International Preschool 701 E. Meadow Drive, Palo Alto 650-493-7672 www.SoraPreschool.com Sora International Preschool is an English-Japanese bilingual preschool. Sora provides children a great leaning experience in a warm, cheerful and friendly
Art Classes Private Lessons, Classes & Ensembles Preschool Program Vacation Camps Concerts & Exhibitions
www. er Online: arts4a ll.org
Regis
t
All ages, all levels, all aspirations!
Finn Center, 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View | 650.917.6800
Inspiring children to achieve
since
CAREER HAPPINESS.
Getting ready to launch your career? No need to do it alone.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT.
CareerGenerations, a new career planning center in Palo Alto,
is offering a Career Launch Program for recent grads that will give you the tools to jumpstart your search. We offer customized 1:1 or small group programs to help you with everything from choosing a career to conducting a strategic job search. Assess and make the most of your strengths, interests, and personality. Generate career options and understand how they relate to the market place. Create resumes and social media profiles that really work. Design a search plan and process that includes creating a target list of companies where you fit. Interview with impact to land the job! To get started, contact us at 650.320.1639 or info@CareerGenerations.com For a free initial consultation.
Experienced career coaches will help you:
10 Bay Area locations. Visit a classroom today.
Because You Know the Value of Education
� 2012, Barbara B. Baker
www.careergenerations.com
Page 20
Class Guide
environment. Sora's mission is to help families that are raising bilingual children as well as those that want their children to begin a second language at an early age.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Palo Alto Adult School 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto 650-329-3752 650-329-8515 (fax) www.paadultschool.org Hands-on computer, language, test preparation, writing, bird identification, investment, hiking, yoga and certificate courses available. Hundreds of online classes are offered by the Palo Alto Adult School in conjunction with Education to Go.
Advertiser Directory
Community School of Music and Arts (aka CSMA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Music with Toby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Career Generations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Waldorf School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . German International School of Silicon Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School. . . . . Palo Alto Prepatory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Children's Health Council (Sand Hill School) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mid-Peninsula High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lydian Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amigos de Palo Alto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sora Preschool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Challenger School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 21 20 19 21 18 19 19 18 21 19 18 20
Class Guide
The Class Guide is published quarterly in the Palo Alto Weekly, Mountain View Voice and Menlo Park Almanac. Descriptions of classes offered in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Stanford, Atherton, Los Altos Hills, Portola Valley, East Palo Alto and beyond are provided. Listings are free and subject to editing. Due to space constraints, classes held in the above cities are given priority. The Weekly's summer Class Guide will publish on May 11, 2012, with deadlines approximately two weeks prior. To inquire about placing a listing in the class guide, email Editorial Assistant Eric Van Susteren at evansusteren@ paweekly.com or call 650-223-6515 or visit www.paloaltoonline.com. To place a paid advertisement in the Class Guide call our display advertising department at 650326-8210.
Yew Chung International School (YCIS) 310 Easy St., Mountain View 650-903-0986 www.ycef.com/sv info@sv.ycef.com YCIS provides multi-cultural and bilingual, English and Mandarin Chinese, education to children from preschool to 5th grade. Yew Chung education aims to liberate the joy of learning within each child. No prior Chinese experience is required.
THE BEST OF TWO WORLDS LEARNING IN GERMAN AND ENGL LISH
MOUNTAIN VIEW, BERKELEY & SAN FRANCISCO
dual-immersion
-
NOW ENROLLING. CALL FOR SCHOOL TOURS!
holistic and individual development High-standard three locations
Phone: 650 254 0748 | Web: www.gissv.org | Email: office@gissv.org
Page 21
Cover Story
ltans d schemes cost Palo A Frau millions of dollars each year
by Sue Dremann
photos by Veronica Weber
nn Griffiths answered the phone on a Tuesday last year and was greeted by a somewhat familiar voice. "Hey, Grandma," the male voice said. "Ryan, you don't sound OK," said Griffiths, a Palo Alto real estate agent, noting that the voice of her supposed grandson didn't seem quite right. "Well, I'm in Barcelona, Spain," the voice said, proceeding to tell her he and a friend were in jail after having met two young people from Canada on the beach. The young men, who were backpacking, got into the Canadians' car to do some sightseeing. Police pulled them over and found drugs in the car, the impersonator claimed. Thus began a harrowing journey for Griffiths, who was taken in by a common scam that preys on grandparents' hearts. In the end, Griffiths, 77, lost $11,000, she said. Every year thousands of seniors fall victim to the so-called "favorite grandson" scam alone. According to a Feb. 28 report by the Federal Trade Commission, impostor scams were one of the 10 top complaints of fraud in 2011. The commission received 73,281 complaints nationwide. Financial crimes against individuals, including fraudulently used credit cards and other monetary thefts, are on the rise. The Federal Trade Commission received 1.8 million complaints in 2011, compared with 1.3 million in 2010. That trend is likely to continue, with technology easing global access to personal information, local inPage 22
A
vestigators and prosecutors said. With a few taps on a keyboard and the click of a mouse, information about someone can be turned into years of chaos. "All it takes is your name," said Neal O'Farrell, an independent security expert and executive director of The Identity Theft Council in Hayward, Calif., a nonprofit organization that helps victims of identity theft stop the financial bleeding and get their lives back in order. Palo Alto is a prime target for identity theft and other crimes, said Scott Tsui, head of economic crimes for the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. "Silicon Valley doesn't have the highest murder rate in the state, but white-collar cases have a high prevalence in the area for various reasons. There are so many business and investment opportunities in the Bay Area; there is a lot of wealth here. We have to be prolific in our enforcement and prosecution of these cases," he said. Three areas of financial crime are on the rise in Palo Alto, according to the Palo Alto Police Department (see sidebar). Comparing 2010 to 2011, embezzlement rose from 12 cases to 17; and identity theft from credit cards rose from 73 reported cases to 100. But the sharpest rise was in elder financial abuse, which more than doubled from 12 cases to 28 in 2011. That figure might even be higher, given that some financial crimes affect elders but have not been categorized as such, Palo Alto Police Lt. Zach Perron said. Crimes that go unreported could mean the total number of crimes is much larger. A March 2011 AARP Foundation National Fraud Victim Study noted that some studies on victim self-reporting found that as few as 25 percent of fraud victims report the crimes. In Palo Alto the dollar losses resulting from fraud of all types are in the millions, according to Palo Alto police Financial Crimes Detective Christine Jolin. On average, city police see two to three cases a week, some involving large sums. Fraud detectives receive 10 to 15 cases per year involving losses of more than $200,000.
B
esides creating years of havoc for a person's identity and credit rating, financial crimes can wipe out life savings when the victim is elderly. Making matters worse, Tsui said, seniors don't have the ability to earn the money back. And they are particularly targeted in the Bay Area because their homes are worth so much more than in other parts of the country, he added. Relatives are many times the perpetrators of elder fraud. "It's heartbreaking. These are the folks that are close to you," Tsui said. But "that big equity in the house" may turn people against their elders. Santa Clara County prosecutors have handled cases for seniors who lost sums in the six figures. Cindy Hendrickson, supervising deputy district attorney in Palo Alto, said she prosecuted a case involving a 96-year-old woman who was "sharp as a tack" and was betrayed by a trusted person. The woman was talked into a fraudulent real estate transaction while recovering from surgery. Hendrickson got back nearly all the woman had lost -- $500,000 -- through restitution, she said. Some of the most egregious cases involve caregivers of elderly patients with dementia and other infirmities. Retirement statements that come in the mail with full Social Security numbers can be used to appropriate the person's identity. Whole bank accounts can be wiped out. Perpetrators of elder fraud are in their own special class of "despicable," Hendrickson said. "Someone that can manipulate someone they know -- that's a different mindset. People who embezzle (from relatives) are not doing it to feed their families," she said. The "favorite grandson" scam -- while not perpetrated by actual family members -- tugs at grandparents' sympathies. As Ann Griffiths experienced, a young person calls a senior pretending to be a grandchild in trouble. He or she begs the grandparent not to tell anyone, especially his or her parents, because the young person is ashamed
Cover Story
Ann Griffiths was victimized in a "grandparent scam," in which $11,000 was stolen from her. of the predicament. The grandparent is anxious to help the beloved grandchild and keep his or her trust. Then the fraudster has the senior wire money to an address. The scam has even affected families within the Palo Alto Police Department. Jolin said her grandfather also was approached by a would-be con man. "He got some call and thought it was my nephew," she said. Fortunately, she was able to warn him in time, and he did not lose any money. Stanford University's Center on Longevity launched the Research Center on the Prevention of Financial Fraud last fall. Martha Deevy, senior research scholar at the Stanford Center on Longevity, said the financial-fraud center was founded because of the prevalence of defrauded seniors. The center is a resource center for law enforcement and government and research groups to study how people lose billions of dollars each year. Deevy said while it is suspected that the elderly are targeted for fraud by criminals more frequently, researchers aren't yet sure if they are more susceptible than the general population. "We suspect the older population is more highly targeted because that's where the money is," she said. "What is known is that when they are victimized, they can't recover." Researchers are interested in what Deevy called the "susceptibility factor." "We're interested in understanding that cycle of fraud. What is that cycle of intimacy?" she said. Deevy noted that work by Laura Carstensen, the Center on Longevity's founding director, discovered that as people age it takes longer to be trustful of people. "But once you do, you become very trustful," Deevy said. If a person has dementia or Alzheimer's Disease and is targeted for fraud, "then all bets are off," she said. The most common elder scams are perpetrated by telemarketers, Jolin said, giving a typical Palo Alto case as an ex(continued on next page)
PALO ALTO FINANCIAL CRIMES BY THE NUMBERS
All financial crimes, 2010
Offense Total Identity theft/Credit cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Identity theft/Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Credit cards/Fraudulent use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Identity theft/Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Checks/Forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Elder Abuse/Financial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Embezzlement/Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Identity theft/Outside investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Forgery/Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Identity theft/Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Checks/Counterfeit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Counterfeiting/Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Checks/Miscellaneous. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Dependent-adult abuse/Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Credit card/Miscellaneous. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Checks/Non-sufficient funds/Closed account. . . . . . . .2 2010 TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
All financial crimes, 2011
Offense Total Identity theft/Credit cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Identity theft/ Miscellaneous. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Elder abuse/Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Identity theft/Outside investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Embezzlement/Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Credit cards/Fraudulent use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Identity theft/Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Checks/Forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Identity theft/Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Checks/Counterfeit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Forgery/Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Dependent-adult abuse/Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Checks/Non-sufficient funds/Closed account. . . . . . . .2 Counterfeiting/Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 False personation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Credit card/Miscellaneous. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Checks/Miscellaneous. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Credit card/Internet fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 2011 TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Page 23
Source: Palo Alto Police Department
Cover Story
(continued from previous page)
ample. The victim is contacted by a person claiming to be an employee of the victim's bank or credit-card issuer. The victim is told that fraud has been detected on the account and the bank needs to verify the victim's true personal information. In a variation of this scam, the scammer offers a better interest rate or mortgage refinancing. In either case, the victim is directed to "confirm" his or her account number, name, date of birth, Social Security number, mother's maiden name and other personal information typically utilized by financial institutions.
O
2011 2012
ST. LAWRENCE STRING QUARTET
ne surprising aspect of the Stanford research is there is no single profile of a victim, Deevy said. Victims, however, can be profiled according to the type of fraud. "Generally, victims of investment fraud are educated white men in their early 50s," she said. But elderly women are more typically the victims of scams such as the Nigerian email, in which the recipient is offered the "opportunity" to share in a percentage of millions of dollars that the scammer -- a self-proclaimed government official -- is trying to transfer out of Nigeria. Deevy said the economic downturn has led to increased fraud and to more cases targeting the nonelderly. "As we navigate our way out of our recession, many victims are pre-retirees who find themselves in an unfortunate financial situation. They are listening to things that they wouldn't have before," she said. Tsui said many current frauds involve mortgage refinancing. California is among the top states with a significant mortgage-fraud problem,
Martha Deevy, a senior research scholar for the Stanford Research Center on the Prevention of Financial Fraud, said the economic downturn has led to increases in fraud. according to the Mortgage Asset Research Institute. Foreclosure-rescue schemes were the sixth-highest reported scheme in the 2010 fiscal year, a 2010 FBI mortgage-fraud report stated. The perpetrator tells homeowners that their homes can be saved from foreclosure through deed transfers and the payment of fees upfront. The perpetrator transfers the property to his name through a quit-claim deed and promises to make mortgage payments while allowing the former homeowner to remain in the home paying rent. The perpetrator remortgages the property or pockets fees paid by desperate homeowners. Often, the original mortgage is not paid off by the perpetrator, and foreclosure is only delayed. Mortgage-fraud con artists who promise loan modifications use advance-fee schemes, in which victims
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SUN / MAR 11 / 2:30 PM DINKELSPIEL AUDITORIUM
The SLSQ conclude their 2011�12 series with an all-Beethoven program, including the Razumovsky 1 and the late Opus 127 quartet.
TIPS ON AVOIDING FINANCIAL FRAUD
L
ANONYMOUS 4
WED / APR 18 / 8 PM MEMORIAL CHURCH
A cappella legends in a silver anniversary celebration! Amid the magnificent resonance of Memorial Church, the quartet will revisit favorite works from throughout their storied career.
ocal residents can learn about financial crimes and ways to protect themselves by attending an identitytheft forum presented by Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss and District Attorney Jeff Rosen. The event takes place Thursday, March 15, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Avenidas, 450 Bryant St., Palo Alto. RSVPs can be made by contacting ashley.allen@bos.sccgov.org or 408-299-5059. Speakers and topics include: Neal O'Farrell, executive director of The Identity Theft Council, "A community response to a crisis"; Palo Alto police Sgt. James Reifschneider; Patti Mcrae, director of mediation services, Consumer Protection Unit, Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, "Steps you can take to prevent identity theft"; Janet Berry, Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, "Role of the District Attorney's Office" and "Seeking restitution." Here are tips to avoid financial crimes from the Palo Alto Police Department. Additional tips on specific types of financial crimes and how to avoid them are available on the FBI website at www. fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud. -- Sue Dremann
TICKETS: livelyarts.stanford.edu | 650-725-ARTS
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Cover Story
COMMON SCAMS IN PALO ALTO
T
he number of scams listed by the FBI is mindspinning: telemarketing fraud, the Nigerian letter, advance-fee schemes, health care and health-insurance bonds, letter of credit, Ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes, Internet fraud, creditcard fraud, funeral and cemetery schemes, reverse mortgages -- even tax-refund scams. The Palo Alto Police Department has compiled a list of common scams. The following is a sampling:
Auto and home-repair scams: The victim is contacted at home or in the parking lot of a retail store and is offered inexpensive repairs, such as vehicle dent, roofing and driveway repair. The victim is asked to pay upfront. Repairs never occur or are sub-standard. The perpetrator sometimes "discovers" additional repairs and charges exorbitant rates for often fictitious repairs. Favorite grandson (grandparents) scam: The victim is contacted by email or phone
by someone claiming to be his or her grandson or granddaughter. The caller claims to have been arrested, robbed or involved in a traffic accident overseas. The "grandchild" says he or she is in need of money for vehicle repairs, return travel, bail or attorney fees. In a variation of the scam, the caller purports to be an attorney calling on behalf of an incarcerated family member.
Bank examiner scams: The victim is contacted by phone by someone purporting to be a police investigator or bank official. The victim is asked to help with an internal bank investigation intended to expose a crooked teller, who is defrauding customers. The victim is asked to go to the bank to make a large cash withdrawal at a specific time. After making the withdrawal and exiting the bank, the victim is met by the "investigator," who thanks the victim, takes the withdrawn currency and promises to credit the victim's account. Telemarketer scams that seek personal information to verify bank or credit-card information are also prevalent. Work-from-home scams: The victim is contacted by email and is offered a job, which is often described as "accounts receivable," "Accounting," or "Mystery shopper." The victim is told his or her job will entail receiving checks from "customers" and depositing the checks in his or her personal bank account. The victim is told to retain a portion of each check as compensation and to remit the balance, by wire transfer, to the "employer." The checks deposited by the victim are later found to be stolen, forged or counterfeit. The victim's account is debited by the bank for the amount. This typically occurs after the "employer" has received the wire transfer. These scams also sometimes occur when the victim responds to online job postings.
The Palo Alto Police Department's complete list of scams is posted at www.cityofpaloalto.org/depts/ pol/ Additional resources on fraud and financial crimes include: 2011 AARP Foundation National Fraud Victim Study (http://tinyurl.com/7fjzm98); AARP tips on how to recognize, prevent fraud (www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud); and FBI information on scams and how to detect them (www. fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud). -- Sue Dremann
Rental scams: The victim responds to an online advertisement offering a home or apartment rental, or a vacation timeshare. The rent is far below market value. The victim is asked to remit the rent, deposit, etc., by wire transfer in advance of move-in. When the victim has sent the money, the perpetrator ceases all communication. Nearly always, the rental property is fictitious. In a variation, some scammers have accepted rent or purchase down payments for distressed, abandoned or foreclosed properties that they do not have the right to rent or sell.
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pay fees for services that are never rendered, the FBI report stated. Deevy said that after the federal government's bailouts of financial institutions, some scammers promised people they could receive a piece of the bailout money. In 2009, the Better Business Bureau warned the public to be "extremely wary" of these offers. Websites claim that consumers can get federal stimulus grants to pay their bills or get out of debt. The bureau found that people who sought free advice were ultimately charged as much as $69.95 every month for information on how to get the money. When complainants contacted the businesses about why they were being charged for a "free" item, they were told that they had actually signed up for a "free trial" -- as explained in the terms and conditions on the website. Others were asked to pay a "processing fee" in order to receive stimulus funds. There are also Medicare Part D scams, Deevy said. Scam artists reportedly contact seniors claiming to represent a Medicare Part D provider but harvest personal information, such as Social Security numbers or checking or credit-card account numbers, according to the Federal trade Commission. "They have a remarkable ability to take current events and turn them into scam opportunities," Deevy said.
O
ne of the main types of fraud stems from identity theft, and much of that is through stolen credit cards. Menlo Park and Mountain View grocery stores see numerous purse thefts from shopping carts, Jolin said. Wallet thefts from downtown Palo Alto restaurants have increased significantly, she added. Often wallets are plucked from purses slung over the backs of diners' chairs. Card skimmers -- small electronic devices that allow a thief to swipe a credit card to obtain its information -- are finding their way into a variety of places, from ATM machines to grocery stores and gas stations. For about $200 to $300, thieves can buy skimmers and a machine that recodes credit cards. A few cases have occurred at restaurants, where an employee might use a pocket skimmer to make a fake credit card, Jolin said. Cards can be made from hotel pass keys and credit-card blanks. Printers can put account numbers and, in some cases, Visa and MasterCard symbols on the cards. "You can even buy credit-card blanks at Fry's," she said. People who use debit cards are most at risk because thieves get direct access to checking accounts. If a victim has overdraft protection on the account, once the checking account is depleted, the savings account is emptied too, Jolin said. Tsui noted the credit-card skim-
ming machines are a good example of how insidious technology-based fraud has become. It no longer just targets the moneyed demographic. "Look at the Lucky's situation," he said, referring to the incident last November involving card readers that had been tampered with at 23 Bay Area stores. "Who doesn't buy groceries? It's a very dangerous situation. You don't have to be a wealthy person." Tsui said doing business on the Internet is convenient, but it also opens the door for personal information to be compromised, and by criminals far away. Jolin agreed: "It's incredibly difficult to catch (the identity thieves); there is no chance to catch anyone outside of the country. The world is pretty much endless, and they'll terrorize you for years." Some identity thieves use sophisticated ruses to obtain Social Security numbers. They can call into banks and pretend to be the victim to access their accounts. O'Farrell of the Identity Theft Council said he is currently working on a $750,000 case involving a 23-year-old man victimized by his father. The son applied for credit and found that someone was already using his Social Security number. "He is in Social Security hell. The father has the same name. He locked the son out of his own credit reports, so he couldn't find out what he was
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Cover Story
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FREE Regular Size Fountain Drink or FREE Small Order of Fries
Offer good per one sandwich purchase
2035-B El Camino Real, Palo Alto
(Between Cambridge and California Avenues)
(650) 326-1628
832 W. El Camino Real Sunnyvale, CA (408) 530-8159
SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2012
16th Annual Juana Run
A fun family and competitive road race with events for all ages. A complimentary pancake breakfast for all 8K participants immediately follows the race.
EVENTS:
approx. every 10 minutes
LOCATION: Juana Briones Elementary School, Palo Alto PARKING: Gunn High School (780 Arastradero Rd. Palo Alto) CONTACT: Juana Run, 3530 Whitsell St., Palo Alto, CA 94306 RACE HOTLINE: (650) 599-3434 ON-LINE REGISTRATION: www.JuanaRun.org EMAIL: juanarun@aol.com
COST: 8K � $35 race day 1-mile race � $25 race day Kids races � $15 race day
Entry includes a t-shirt, finisher ribbon (kids), age group prizes, reusable bag, post-race massage and free food and drink. Scholarships are available for kids races.
This space donated as a community service by the Palo Alto Weekly
An Evening in Florence
Presented by Professor William Fredlund
Please join the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden for a Special Event
doing," O'Farrell said. The father purchased homes, vehicles and time-share property. He received just 30 days in jail for his crimes, O'Farrell said. But five years later the son is still trying to repair the damage. New creditors are still calling, and he cannot get any credit. O'Farrell is trying to help the son get a new Social Security number, but the Social Security Administration is balking. "There are only two cases in which you can get a new Social Security number: if there is irreparable financial harm or if you are in a witness-protection program," he said. O'Farrell's Identity Theft Council handles 50 to 100 cases monthly in the Bay Area, offering free services, he said. It was founded after Hayward police approached him to help counsel identity-theft victims pro bono. He has worked with dozens of district attorneys' offices and police departments. Another case he's working on involves a victim who discovered that someone had been using her Social Security number for 15 years. The thief is in the country illegally and racked up multiple DUIs. When the thief's driver's license was revoked, the victim also couldn't get a driver's license for three years. The thief used the woman's identity to purchase a home and open credit-card accounts. She was finally arrested in South Carolina, but California doesn't want to prosecute her since she will be deported, O'Farrell said. "It took awhile trying to expunge her criminal record. Every day it's a constant fight for this victim," he said. The good news is that the law is on the side of the victim when it comes to getting the illegal transactions reversed by credit-card companies. "But you have to assert it. You have to get an identity-theft affidavit from the IRS or Federal Trade Commission and a police report," he said. "The big problem is what if someone has your Social Security number and is working under it." O'Farrell had a client in San Francisco who had $10,000 in wages garnished by the IRS after someone in Sunnyvale had stolen her identity. IRS fraud can take up to a year to resolve, he said. "Don't assume it can't happen to you. There are more victims of identity theft than burglaries, arson, attempted theft, attempted car theft, purse snatching, pick-pocketing and shoplifting combined," he said.
Scott Tsui, head of the economic crimes division of the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, said Silicon Valley's wealth makes it a prime target for identity theft and other crimes. country and can't meet you. The victim provides a $1,500 security deposit, and they say they will mail the keys," she said. But of course the keys never come, and the victim is out $1,500. In February Jolin received a report from someone who planned to vacation in Kauai. The person looked on the Web and saw beautiful pictures of a rental home. The victim contacted the owner by email and was told to wire a deposit to hold the rental, she said. "If anyone asks you to wire money or send a cashier's check or money order, do more research. Put the website in Google, and see if other people have been defrauded by the same suspect. You can find complaints quickly," she said. Future financial crime undoubtedly will evolve around technology, Tsui said. "With every technological invention there is an opportunity for a byproduct crime to happen. It's a big problem. We can talk about it for days. As we become more global, we have to find ways to work together. "We're creating a world where everyone's connected, but not so with law enforcement. You don't have to be in the U.S. to commit fraud against someone here. The big question is how are we going to deal with this globalization of everything? "We get calls all the time from other parts of the country. I worked on a case with a travel agent who called and said, `There was a fraud in your county, and they took my money,'" he said. "And where are you?" The reply: "Maine." The Santa Clara County District Attorney's financial-crimes unit handles some of the most complex cases. These can involve organizedcrime operations, sales of fraudulent securities to investors, and international investment schemes. But as budgets have been cut, it is getting harder to keep up with the burgeoning fraud industry, Tsui said. "One thing that is a challenge: In handling financial crimes, one of the most important things we need is to have professionals to do forensic accounting. It's almost as important as
TALK ABOUT IT
www.PaloAltoOnline.com
What steps have you taken to avoid becoming the victim of financial crime? Talk about your ideas and experiences on Town Square, the community discussion forum, on Palo Alto Online.
Wednesday, March 14 7:00 ~ 9:00 p.m.
Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto
S
Join us for a special program for our community of travelers, artists, gardeners, and friends. Register by March 9. Seating is limited.
650.329.1356 www.gamblegardens.org
This space donated as Community Service by the Palo Alto Weekly
tanford's Deevy said the problem of financial crime is "a mile wide and a mile deep." Fraud schemes of all types are proliferating. Online sites such as Craigslist. com are being used to commit whole new types of fraud. Jolin said she has worked on real-estate scam cases in which the scammer drives around the area and finds a home with a sign stating the property is open for rent or sale. Then he or she places an ad on Craigslist offering the property. "They say they are out of the
a gun-carrying detective in the DA's office in terms of investment in the next stage of fighting and prosecuting financial crimes," Tsui said. Hendrickson said about 80 percent of arrests made for identity theft and credit-card fraud are made by police officers during vehicle stops. Officers checking identification find false licenses, or they legally search vehicles of parolees and people on probation. "We have a lot of good police work in Palo Alto enforcing traffic violations. People have stolen mail and stolen credit cards in their cars. I can't think of another way they would catch these people," she said. Tsui and Hendrickson both said laws aren't tough enough to deter financial crimes. "One of the most frustrating things is that these charges are not (three) strike offenses. With the (prison) realignment, most will do only half their time or go to county jail. There is not enough punishment prescribed by statute. Going to county jail is the cost of doing business for many of them," said Hendrickson, who once successfully convinced a jury that a serial con man committed burglary when he defrauded a victim in her home. The con artist received a 15year sentence. Hendrickson said the goal in prosecuting financial crimes often isn't just to throw someone in prison but to get restitution for the victim. Compromises are made so that, as Tsui said, "The victim can be made whole again." Unfortunately, he said, "A lot of crimes don't pay, but financial crimes are one of the few crimes you can use to make a living." Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
About the cover: Photo by Veronica Weber. Design by Shannon Corey
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Arts & Entertainment
new musical horizons
San Francisco Choral Artists challenge choral stereotypes with a diverse program of Jewish music
by Rebecca Wallace
W
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"One of the museum's best exhibitions in its 10-year history!"
� Los Altos Town Crier
Arts & Entertainment
Choral music
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Engaging multimedia displays and creative art installations illustrate the history and future of water in Silicon Valley. Through April 22 / FREE Thu.�Sun. / Noon�4PM Los Altos History Museum
51 S. San Antonio Road LosAltosHistory.org
mp Connec tion Ca
Athletics
Harker Summer Programs Kim Grant Tennis Academy & Palo Alto/ Summer Camps Menlo Park/Redwood City
Fun and Specialized junior camps for Mini (3-5), Beginner, Intermediate 1&2, Advanced and Elite Players. Weekly programs designed by Kim Grant to improve players technique, fitness, agility, mental toughness and all around tennis game. Camps in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Redwood City. Come make new friends and have tons of FUN!! www.KimGrantTennis.com 650-752-8061
G U I D E TO 2012 S U M M E R C A M P S F O R K I D S
Summer 2012
For more information about these camps, see our online directory of camps at http://paloaltoonline. com/biz/summercamps/. To advertise in a weekly directory, contact 650-326-8210 India Community Center Summer Camps Palo Alto/ Sunnyvale/ Milpitas/Olema
San Jose
K-12 offerings taught by exceptional, experienced faculty and staff. K-6 morning academics - focusing on math, language arts and science - and full spectrum of afternoon recreation. Grades 6-12 for-credit courses and non-credit enrichment opportunities. Sports programs also offered. www.summer.harker.org 408-553-0537
iD Tech Camps - Summer Tech Fun!
Stanford
Join ICC's Cultural Camps which give campers a quick tour of India and its vibrant culture. These camps include arts, crafts, folk dance, bollywood dance, music, yoga, Indian history and geography. Over 10 different camps all through the summer for Grades K-12. To register or for more details visit: www.indiacc.org/camps 408-934-1130 ext. 225
Nike Tennis Camps
Stanford University
Dick Gould's 43rd Annual Stanford Tennis School offers day camps for both juniors & adults. Weekly junior overnight & extended day camps run by John Whitlinger & Lele Forood. Junior Day Camp run by Brandon Coupe & Frankie Brennan. www.USSportsCamps.com/tennis 1-800-NIKE-CAMP (645-3226)
Take hobbies further! Ages 7-17 create iPhone apps, video games, movies, and more at weeklong, day and overnight programs held at Stanford and 60+ universities in 27 states.. Also 2-week, Teen-only programs: iD Gaming Academy, iD Programming Academy, and iD visual Arts Academy (filmmaking & photography). www.internalDrive.com 1-888-709-TECH (8324)
Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC)
Palo Alto
iD Teen Academies
Stanford
Oshman JCC
Palo Alto
Exciting programs for preschool and grades K-12 include swimming, field trips, crafts and more. Enroll your child in traditional camp, or specialty camps like Pirates, Archery, Runway Project, Kid TV and over 25 others! www.paloaltojcc.org/camps 650-223-8622
Spring Down Equestrian Center
Portola Valley
Learn different aspects of video game creation, app development, filmmaking, photography, and more. 2-week programs where ages 13-18 interact with industry professionals to gain competitive edge. iD Gaming Academy, iD Programming Academy, and iD Visual Arts Academy are held at Stanford, and other universities. www.iDTeenAcademies.com 1-888-709-TECH (8324)
PACCC summer camps offer campers, grades kindergarten to 6th, a wide array of fun opportunities! K-1 Fun for the youngest campers, Nothing But Fun for themed-based weekly sessions, Neighborhood Adventure Fun and Ultimate Adventure Fun for the more active and on-the-go campers! Swimming twice per week, periodic field trips, special visitors and many engaging camp activities, songs and skits round out the fun offerings of PACCC Summer Camps! Registration is online. Open to campers from all communities! Come join the fun in Palo Alto! www.paccc.com 650-493-2361
Spring Down camp teaches basic to advanced horsemanship skills. Ages 6-99 welcome! Daily informative lecture, riding lesson, supervised handson skill practice, safety around horses, tacking/untacking of own camp horse, and arts/crafts. www.springdown.com 650.851.1114
Mid-Peninsula High School Summer Program
TechKnowHow Computer Palo Alto/ & LEGO Camps Menlo Park/Sunnyvale
Fun and enriching technology classes for students, ages 5-14 Courses include LEGO and K'NEX Projects with Motors, Electronics, NXT Robotics, 3D Modeling, and Game Design. Many locations, including Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Sunnyvale. Half and all day options. Early-bird and multi-session discounts available. www.techknowhowkids.com 650-638-0500
Menlo Park
Stanford Water Polo Camps
Stanford
Ages 7 and up. New to the sport or have experience, we have a camp for you. Half day or full day option for boys and girls. All the camps offer fundamental skill work, position work, scrimmages and games. stanfordwaterpolocamps.com 650-725-9016
Mid-Peninsula High School offers a series of classes and electives designed to keep students engaged in learning. Class Monday-Thursday and limited to 15 students. Every Thursday there's a BBQ lunch. The Science and Art classes will have weekly field trips. www.mid-pen.com 650-321-1991 x110
Theatreworks Summer Camps
Palo Alto
Summer at Saint Francis
Mountain View
Summer at Saint Francis
Mountain View
Sports & Activity Camp (ages 6-12): This all sports camp provides group instruction in a variety of field, water and court games. Saint Francis faculty and students staff the camp, and the focus is always on fun. The program is dedicated to teaching teamwork, sportsmanship and positive self-esteem. After camp care and swim lessons available. www.sfhs.com/summer 650-968-1213 x650
Summer at Saint Francis provides a broad range of academic and athletic programs for elementary through high school students. It is the goal of every program to make summer vacation enriching and enjoyable! www.sfhs.com/summer 650-968-1213 x446
In these skill-building workshops for grades K-5, students engage in language-based activities, movement, music, and improvisation theatre games. Students present their own original pieces at the end of each two-week camp. www.theatreworks.org/educationcommunity 650-463-7146
Castilleja Summer Day Camp
Palo Alto
Synapse School & Wizbots
Menlo Park
Summer at Saint Francis
Mountain View
Advanced Sports Camps (5th-9th grades): We offer a wide selection of advanced sports camps designed to provide players with the opportunity to improve both their skill and knowledge of a specific sport. Each camp is run by a Head Varsity Coach at Saint Francis, and is staffed by members of the coaching staff. www.sfhs.com/summer 650-968-1213 x650
Cutting-edge, imaginative, accelerated, integrated, and hands-on academic summer enrichment courses with independent in-depth, project-based morning and afternoon week-long programs for children ages 4-12. Young Explorers, Thinking Math, Leonardo da Vinci's Inventions, Nature Connections, Girls' & Soccer Robotics, and more! synapseschool.org/curriculum/summer 650-866-5824
Castilleja Summer Day Camp (grades 2-6, CILT grades 8-9) offers ageappropriate activities including athletics, art, science, computers, writing, crafts, cooking, drama, music classes and field trips. Two and four week sessions available. www.castilleja.org 650-470-7833
Camp Imagineerz
Mountain View and Los Altos
Write Now! Summer Writing Camps
Palo Alto
YMCA of Silicon Valley
Peninsula
Say hello to summer fun at the YMCA! Choose from enriching day or overnight camps in 35 locations: arts, sports, science, travel, and more. For youth K-10th grade. Includes weekly fieldtrips, swimming and outdoor adventures. Accredited by the American Camp Association. Financial assistance available. www.ymcasv.org/summercamp 408-351-6400
Emerson School of Palo Alto and Hacienda School of Pleasanton open their doors and offer their innovative programs: Expository Writing, Creative Writing, Presentation Techniques, and (new!) Media Production. Call or visit our website for details. Also Pleasanton. www.headsup.org 650-424-1267, 925-485-5750
Building i-can attitudes....In a FUN environment, children discover that when you believe you can, you can! Creating and performing original stories, building/making with recycled materials and lots of outdoor play. Grades 1- 4. Fabulous Early-bird discount up to March 15. See website for details www.imagineerz-learning.com 650-318-5002
Bald Eagle Camps
Mountain View
Arts, Culture and Other Camps
Community School of Music & Arts (CSMA ) Mountain View
Academics
GASPA German Summer School Camp Menlo Park
Learn German by way of Fairytale! GASPA is taking Summer Camp into the world of fairy tales and everything that comes with it...in German of course! Offering a 4 week program for children ages 3-12. www.gaspa-ca.org 650-520-3646
50+ creative camps for Gr. K-8! Drawing, Painting, Ceramics, Sculpture, Musical Theater, American Idol Workshop, more! Two-week sessions; full and half-day enrollment. Extended care available. Financial aid offered. www.arts4all.org 650-917-6800 ext. 0
Bald Eagle Camps is the only camp Approved by the nationally recognized Positive Coaching Alliance, teaching their principles to every camper through our Certified Coaches. We offer 3 uniquely FUN Summer Camps, each of which exude our encouraging team culture: Non-Traditional Sports Camp(1st-8th), Basketball Camp(3rd8th), and Leadership Camp(7th-8th only). Come experience our positive atmosphere, great coaching, unique structure, inspiring life message and 5-STAR service. Bald Eagle Camps is guaranteed to be a highlight of your child's summer. www.baldeaglecamps.com 888-505-2253
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Arts & Entertainment
Mason Poole
What: "Prophets, Kings & Klezmer," a concert by San Francisco Choral Artists and the Veretski Pass ensemble Where: Congregation Etz Chayim, 4161 Alma St., Palo Alto When: Sunday, March 11, at 4 p.m. Cost: Tickets are $12-$25 in advance and $15-$30 at the door. Info: Go to sfca.org or call 415494-8149.
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Arts & Entertainment
PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL CIVIC CENTER, 250 HAMILTON AVENUE BROADCAST LIVE ON KZSU, FM 90.1 CABLECAST LIVE ON GOVERNMENT ACCESS CHANNEL 26 ***************************************** THIS IS A SUMMARY OF COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS. THE AGENDA WITH COMPLETE TITLES INCLUDING LEGAL DOCUMENTATION CAN BE VIEWED AT THE BELOW WEBPAGE: http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/knowzone/agendas/council.asp
(TENTATIVE) AGENDA�SPECIAL MEETINGCOUNCIL CHAMBERS MARCH 12, 2012 - 5:30 PM
CLOSED SESSION 1. Labor 2. Litigation SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY 3. Community Presentation Neighbors Abroad 4. Proclamation Welcoming the Tsuchiura Exchange Students 5. Proclamation Honoring Girl Scouts Week March 11-17th CONSENT CALENDAR 6. Amendment Number 2 to the OPOWER Contract with the City of Palo Alto to Add Website Portal and Related Web-based Services at no Cost in Addition to the Home Energy Reports 7. Request to Cancel Council Meeting of April 2, 2012 and Call a Special Council Meeting on April 23, 2012. 8. Approval of a Three Year Wastewater Enterprise Fund Contract with Casey Construction, Inc., in an Amount Not to Exceed $2,070,505 for Waterwater Collection System Maintenance Services 9. CAO Committee Recommendation to Approve the Contract with Sherry Lund Associates for the Amount of Not to Exceed $35,050 to Complete the Four CAO Evaluations for the 20112012 Performance Review Cycle 10. Approval of Change Order 15 in the Amount of $278,711 to Flintco Construction for the Mitchell Park Library and Community Center Project ACTION ITEMS 11. PUBLIC HEARING: Request for Approval of the Proposed Lytton Gateway Project, including: (1) Approval of a Mitigated Negative Declaration; (2) Adoption of a PC Ordinance Amending the Zoning Map of the City Of Palo Alto to Change the Zone Designations of 355 and 335 Alma, currently CDC-P and CDN-P, to Planned Community (PC) to allow a mixed use retail, office and residential (14 rental units), five story, 64-foot tall building and an 84-foot corner tower feature on the former Shell Station site, and including two concessions under State Housing Density Bonus Law (building height and daylight plane); and (3) Approval of a Resolution amending the Comprehensive Plan designation for a portion of the site (335 Alma) to Regional/Community Commercial (from Neighborhood Commercial); at 355 and 335 Alma Street. * Quasi-Judicial 12. Approval Of Final Park Design for El Camino Park And Approval Of The Use Of $2,275,796 In Park Development Impact Fees To Fund The Design And Construction Of The Improvements 13. CAO Recommendation to Approve an Addendum to the Contract with Sherry Lund Associates for the Amount of $6,000 Consideration a Modified 360 Review of the CAO's
Michelle Le
Kids on stage
by Nick Veronin
S
STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The Policy & Services Committee meeting will be held on March 13, 2012 at 7:00 PM. regarding; 1) labor Guiding Principles, 2) Fire Study, and 3) State and Federal Legislation Items. The City/School Committee will be held on March 15, 2012 at 8:15 AM. The City Council Rail Committee will be held on March 15, 2012 at 12:00 Noon. The Regional Housing Mandate Committee will meet on March 16, 2012 at 4:00 PM. regarding; 1) Update on SCS (SB375) meetings; and 2) Update regarding Draft Preferred SCS Scenario.
SALUTING LOCALS ... The sixth annual Local Heroes Week is coming up at Palo Alto's Media Center, with a reception and cable programming scheduled. Each year, the Media Center asks for nominations from the public, then chooses local "heroes" who have contributed to the community and have a good story to tell, producer Louise Pencavel said in a press release. This year,
Info: For more about Peninsula Youth Theatre and its upcoming productions, go to pytnet.org.
A&E DIGEST
the six honorees will be honored at a reception at 4 p.m. on March 18 at the center, 900 San Antonio Road. After that, interviews with the honorees will be aired on Channel 30 and 27. This year's local heroes are: Craig Diserens, co-founder of the volunteer hunger organization Village Harvest; Abe Abullarade at the mentoring program Center for a New Generation; longtime international volunteer Judy Kramer; Sister Trinitas, the creator of the Rosalie Rendu Center for immigrant women and children; Mary Ojakian, who volunteers to educate about and prevent suicide; and Kelly Kobza, founding director of the Haiti aid organization Greater Good. For a program schedule, go to midpenmedia. org. To RSVP for the reception, call Pencavel at 650-494-8686, ext. 36.
Page 30
JAPANESE & SUSHI
Fuki Sushi 494-9383 4119 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Online Ordering-Catereing-Chef Rental Sushi Workshops-Private Tatami Rooms Online Gift Card Purchase fukisushi.com & facebook.com/fukisushi
of the week
AMERICAN
Armadillo Willy's 941-2922 1031 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos Range: $5.00-13.00
CHINESE
New Tung Kee Noodle House 947-8888 520 Showers Dr., MV in San Antonio Ctr. Voted MV Voice Best `01, `02, `03 & `04 Prices start at $4.75 Su Hong � Menlo Park Dining Phone: 323�6852 To Go: 322�4631 Winner, Menlo Almanac "Best Of" 8 years in a row!
MEXICAN
Palo Alto Sol 328-8840 408 California Ave, Palo Alto
PIZZA
Spot A Pizza 324-3131 115 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto Voted Best Pizza in Palo Alto www.spotpizza.com
Hobee's 856-6124 4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Also at Town & Country Village, Palo Alto 327-4111
Burmese
Green Elephant Gourmet 494-7391 Burmese & Chinese Cuisine 3950 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto (Charleston Shopping Center) Dine-In, Take-Out, Local Delivery-Catering www.greenelephantgourmet.com
POLYNESIAN
Trader Vic's 849-9800
INDIAN
Darbar Indian Cuisine 321-6688 129 Lytton, Downtown Palo Alto Lunch Buffet M-F; Open 7 days Janta Indian Restaurant (650) 462-5903 Fax (650) 462-1433 369 Lytton Ave., Downtown Palo Alto Lunch Buffet M-F; www.jantaindianrestaurant.com
4269 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Dinner Mon-Thurs 5-10pm; Fri-Sat 5-11pm; Sun 4:30 - 9:30pm Available for private luncheons Lounge open nightly Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-6 pm
CHINESE
Chef Chu's 948-2696 1067 N. San Antonio Road on the corner of El Camino, Los Altos 2010 Best Chinese MV Voice & PA Weekly
SEAFOOD
Cook's Seafood 325-0604 751 El Camino Real, Menlo Park Seafood Dinners from $6.95 to $10.95
ITALIAN
La Cucina di Pizzeria Venti 254-1120 1390 Pear Ave, Mountain View www.pizzeriaventi.com Fresh, Chef Inspired Italian Food Spalti Ristorante 327-9390
Jing Jing 328-6885 443 Emerson St., Palo Alto Authentic Szechwan, Hunan Food To Go, Delivery www.jingjinggourmet.com
STEAKHOUSE
Sundance the Steakhouse 321-6798 1921 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30 am-2:00pm Dinner: Mon-Thu 5:00-10:00pm Fri-Sat 5:00-10:30pm, Sun 5:00-9:00pm www.sundancethesteakhouse.com
Page 31
Search a complete listing of local restaurant reviews by location or type of food on PaloAltoOnline.com
Ming's 856-7700 1700 Embarcadero East, Palo Alto www.mings.com
417 California Ave, Palo Alto www.spalti.com
"A HILARIOUS HIT.
A witty, textured, modern look at love, adult friendships, and the new permutations on the traditional family."
JESSICA HENDERSON,
Movies
NOW PLAYING
The following is a sampling of movies recently reviewed in the Weekly:
The Secret World of Arrietty 1/2 (Century 16, Century 20) Great things come in small packages. That's one of the lessons of "The Secret World of Arrietty," the charming animated adventure based on Mary Norton's kid-lit classic "The Borrowers." This is a tale of tiny people living underfoot of human "beans," and "borrowing" what they need to survive. But it's also a reminder that the seemingly small package of a hand-drawn animated film remains a warmly welcome alternative to computer-generated imagery. Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi takes the story at a leisurely pace, which allows it to breathe. Along with the gorgeously detailed art, lush color and swoony music, the film is all but guaranteed to entrance children. The animation style, emphasizing meticulous design, perfectly lends itself to the source material. Everything about "Arrietty" is as vivid as it is (deceptively) simple, which places it in the top ranks of animated movies. With tenderness, the story brushes against big fears -- Shawn grapples with mortality, Arrietty with losing her home -- while retaining the view that friendship can mean mutually solving, or at least alleviating, problems. Rated G. One hour, 34 minutes. -- P.C. (Reviewed Feb. 17, 2012) The Vow 1/2 (Century 16, Century 20) If the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore chuckler "50 First Dates" had been recast as a romantic drama and produced by the Oprah Winfrey Network, "The Vow" might have been the result. Fortunately, leads Rachel McAdams ("Midnight in Paris") and Channing Tatum ("Haywire") serve up solid perfor-
OPENINGS Silent House 1/2
John Carter
"A rapid-fire crowd-pleaser."
LOGAN HILL,
"Laughs in all the right places."
KRISTA SMITH,
"Great, funny and touching."
MICHELLE KUNG,
All of the above.
STARTS FRIDAY, MARCH 9
(continued on page 34)
ACADEMY AWARD WINNER WINNER WINNER
�
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
� A.M.P.A.S.�
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW CRITICS' CHOICE AWARD FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS CHICAGO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD
�
A SEPARATION
A FILM BY ASGHAR FARHADI DreamLab WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ASGHAR FARHADI
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
�HFPA
WWW.SONYCLASSICS.COM
LANDMARK'S GUILD 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (650) 266-9260
VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.ASEPARATION.COM
CENTURY 20 DOWNTOWN REDWOOD CITY 825 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City (800) FANDANGO
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE
A TRUE STORY
TELLURIDE
FILM FESTIVAL
OFFICIAL SELECTION OFFICIAL SELECTION
�
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
FILM FESTIVAL
TORONTO
"SINGULAR AND SUPERBLY DRAMATIC. AGNIEZSKA HOLLAND'S BRAVE EPIC."
-Joe Morgenstern, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
"A THRILLING ADVENTURE PICTURE."
-Richard Corliss, TIME
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF "EUROPA EUROPA"
Skip it
Some redeeming qualities
A good bet
Outstanding Palo Alto (493-3456) Guild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (266-9260) Stanford: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (324-3700) Internet address: For show times, plot synopses, trailers and more information about films playing, go to PaloAltoOnline.com/movies
IN DARKNESS
WWW.SONYCLASSICS.COM
Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (266-9260) Century Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View (800-326-3264) Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City (800-326-3264) Cin�Arts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real,
STARTS FRIDAY, MAY 9
Page 32
On Visit iTunes.com/SPC for a look at In Darkness and other SPC films
VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.INDARKNESSFILM.COM
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Page 33
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Schedule Maintenance Brakes
(continued from page 32)
mances and help keep the film somewhat grounded. The fledgling marriage between sweethearts Leo (Tatum) and Paige (McAdams) crashes to a halt when a truck slams into their car, sending Paige into a coma. When she awakes, she has no memory of Leo, who endures one awkward situation after another to win Paige back. Tatum and McAdams have a comfortable chemistry and their relationship is mostly believable. The romantic scenarios that abound range from endearing to saccharine. The characters in Paige's life are moderately fleshed out, including her parents and sister (Jessica McNamee), but those in Leo's life are numbingly one-note. While most films nowadays include 3D glasses, "The Vow" comes with the rosecolored variety. Rated PG-13 for sexual content, partial nudity, language and an accident scene. One hour, 44 minutes. -- T.H. (Reviewed Feb. 10, 2012)
The Artist (Palo Alto Square, Century 20) Any filmgoer undaunted by something different will walk out of this new silent film with a grin. Michel Hazanavicius' feature has an emotional generosity that speaks louder than words. Opening in 1927, "The Artist" begins with a premiere of a silent film starring George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). When Valentin stumbles into a photo op with Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), the ground for a relationship is paved. Peppy sees her star begins to rise with George's fall, precipitated by the arrival of talkies and the crash of 1929. Writer-director Hazanavicius mostly steers clear of comparisons to the era's epics and screen comics, instead inhabiting melodrama. The acting is inventive, and the film joyously celebrates the movies. Rated PG13 for a disturbing image and a crude gesture. One hour, 41 minutes. -- P.C. (Reviewed Dec. 2, 2011)
MOVIE TIMES
Movie times for the Century 16 theater are for Friday through Wednesday only unless otherwise noted. 2 For 1 - My Week with Marilyn/The Iron Lady (R) 1/2 Century 16: Fri.-Mon. at noon, 2:10, 4:20, 6:30 & 8:30 p.m. A Separation (PG-13) 1/2 Century 20: 11:10 a.m. & 2 p.m.; Fri.-Tue. & Thu. also at 4:50 & 7:40 p.m. Guild Theatre: 5:30 & 8:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 2:30 p.m. A Thousand Words (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 11:50 a.m.; 2:30, 5 & 8 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 10:30 p.m.; Mon.-Wed. also at 10:15 p.m. Century 20: 11:55 a.m.; 2:35, 5:10, 7:40 & 10:05 p.m. Act of Valor (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 11:30 a.m.; 2, 4:30 & 7:10 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 9:55 p.m.; Mon.-Wed. also at 9:40 p.m. Century 20: 11:30 a.m.; 2:10, 4:55, 7:35 & 10:20 p.m. The Artist (PG-13) 1/2 Century 20: 11:40 a.m.; 2:10, 4:40, 7:05 & 9:35 p.m. Palo Alto Square: 2, 4:20 & 7:25 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. also at 9:45 p.m. Bachelor Mother (1939) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Stanford Theatre: Sat.-Mon. at 5:55 & 9:30 p.m. Ben-Hur (1959) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Thu. at 2 & 7 p.m. Chronicle (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: 3 & 7:50 p.m. The Descendants (R) 1/2 Century 20: Fri.-Mon. at 11:10 a.m.; 1:50, 4:30, 7:15 & 10 p.m. Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (PG) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 2:20 & 4:50 p.m.; In 3D at 11 & 11:40 a.m.; 1:40, 4:10, 6:40 & 7:30 p.m.; In 3D Fri.-Sun. also at 9 & 9:55 p.m.; In 3D Mon.-Wed. also at 8:50 & 9:45 p.m. Century 20: 11:10 a.m. & 3:50 p.m.; In 3D at 12:25, 1:30, 2:45, 5, 6:10, 7:20, 8:30, 9:40 & 10:45 p.m.; Sun. (standard 2D) also at 10:30 a.m.; Sat. & Sun. in 3D also at 10:25 a.m. Friends with Kids (R) (Not Reviewed) Aquarius Theatre: 4:15, 7 & 9:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 1:30 p.m. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: 12:35 & 10:25 p.m.; In 3D at 5:25 p.m. Gone (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: Fri.-Tue. & Thu. at 10:30 p.m. In Darkness (R) (Not Reviewed) Aquarius Theatre: 8:30 p.m.; Fri.-Wed. also at 5:15 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 2 p.m. The Iron Lady (PG-13) 1/2 Century 16: Tue. & Wed. at noon, 2:30, 5, 7:30 & 10:05 p.m. John Carter (PG-13) Century 16: 11 a.m.; In 3D at noon, 2:30, 3:30 & 6:20 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. (standard 2D) also at 9:40 p.m.; Mon.-Wed. (standard 2D) also at 9:20 p.m.; In 3D Fri.-Sun. also at 7:20 & 10:30 p.m.; In 3D Mon.-Wed. also at 7 & 10 p.m.; In 3D Thu. at noon, 3:30, 7 & 10 p.m. Century 20: 11:20 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; In 3D at 12:10, 1, 2:25, 3:15, 4:05, 6:20, 7:10, 8:35, 9:25 & 10:15 p.m. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (PG) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: 11:15 a.m. & 4:20 p.m.; In 3D at 1:40 & 6:55 p.m. The Metropolitan Opera: Ernani (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: Wed. at 6:30 p.m. Palo Alto Square: Wed. at 6:30 p.m. People Will Talk (1951) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Stanford Theatre: Sat.-Mon. at 7:30 p.m.; Sun. also at 3:55 p.m. Pina 3D (PG) (Not Reviewed) Palo Alto Square: 1:50 p.m.; Fri.-Tue. & Thu. also at 4:30 & 7:15 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. also at 9:50 p.m. Project X (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 11:10 a.m.; 12:10, 1:30, 2:40, 4, 5, 6:30, 7:50 & 10:10 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 9:10 p.m.; Mon.-Wed. also at 9 p.m. Century 20: 11:30 a.m.; 12:45, 1:45, 3, 4, 5:20, 6:15, 7:45, 8:30, 10 & 10:45 p.m. Safe House (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 11:20 a.m.; 2:05, 4:45, 7:40 & 10:20 p.m. Century 20: 11:15 a.m.; 1:55, 4:35, 7:30 & 10:10 p.m. The Secret World of Arrietty (G) 1/2 Century 16: 11 a.m.; 1:20, 3:50 & 6:10 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 8:40 p.m.; Mon.-Wed. also at 8:30 p.m. Century 20: 11:45 a.m.; 2:15, 4:35, 7 & 9:25 p.m. Silent House (R) 1/2 Century 16: 11 a.m.; 1:10, 3:20, 5:30, 8:10 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: 11:25 a.m.; 1:35, 3:45, 6, 8:15 & 10:30 p.m. The Southerner (1945) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Stanford Theatre: Tue.-Thu. at 5:45 & 9:10 p.m. This Means War (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 12:50, 3:40 & 7 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 9:45 p.m.; Mon.-Wed. also at 9:35 p.m. Century 20: 11:50 a.m.; 2:20, 4:45, 7:15 & 9:45 p.m. Tyler Perry's Good Deeds (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: 9:20 p.m. 1/2 The Vow (PG-13) Century 16: 12:30, 3:35, 7 & 9:50 p.m. Century 20: 11:35 a.m.; 2:15, 4:45, 7:25 & 9:55 p.m. Wagon Master (1950) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Stanford Theatre: Tue.-Thu. at 7:30 p.m.
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Wanderlust (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 12:40, 3:10, 6:35 & 9:20 p.m. Century 20: 12:30, 2:55, 5:30, 8 & 10:35 p.m. We Need to Talk About Kevin (R) Century 16: 12:20, 3:45, 6:50 & 9:30 p.m.
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Page 34
Sports Shorts
OF LOCAL NOTE . . . When the Stanford men's tennis team plays host to Yale on Saturday at 1 p.m., it will be much more than just a nonconference match. It will be a homecoming for three members of the Yale squad and a reunion for both the Bulldogs and Cardinal. Returning to the Bay Area will be Yale senior Erik Blumenkranz from Sacred Heart Prep plus junior Daniel Hoffman and sophomore Patrick Chase from Menlo School. They'll meet up with Stanford sophomore Jamin Ball, yet another former Menlo School standout. All four competed against each other in high school and will have the opportunity to do so on Saturday at Stanford's Taube Family Tennis Center. All three Yale players are ITA Scholar-Athletes and helped their high school teams win Central Coast Section titles. Blumenkranz helped the Gators win in 2008, Hoffman led the Knights in 2009 in addition to winning the CCS singles title that year. Chase was on the `09 and `10 teams that captured section and NorCal titles and was a two-time CCS doubles champ (with Max Glenn). Ball, meanwhile, played with Chase on the 2010 Menlo team that went 27-0 and played alongside Hoffman for three seasons -- helping win three CCS titles during his career while going undefeated in singles in 2009. He was 9-9 in singles and 13-8 in doubles his freshman year at Stanford . . . Priory basketball graduate Reggie Willhite, a senior at Yale, was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Ivy League this week. Willhite led the league with a single-season school record of 63 steals and was named to the All-Ivy League second team. Willhite is Yale's first Defensive Player of the Year. The award was instituted at the start of the 2008-09 season. Willhite has been one of the most versatile players in the Ivy League. In addition to his outstanding defense, he is in the top-10 in the league in four offensive categories -- field goal percentage (fifth, .478), assists (sixth, 4.0 per game), scoring (seventh, 12.2 ppg.) and assist/turnover ratio (eighth, 1.4). Willhite's 63 steals broke the school record Alex Zampier set in 2009-10. His 130 career steals are tied for the seventh most in Yale history. In 14 Ivy games, Willhite averaged 11.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and had 30 steals.
After celebrating the school's first-ever Central Coast Section championship in basketball following a 41-39 win over rival Palo Alto last Saturday, the Gunn girls moved on to the CIF NorCal Division I playoffs on Wednesday and opened with a 35-33 triumph over visiting Mission San Jose.
A championship season remains alive
Fresh from their first-ever CCS title, Gunn girls roll into second round of NorCals after a 35-33 opening win
by Keith Peters here have been teams with better records, like the 2008 squad that went 26-3. And there have been teams that have come close to reaching the state finals, like the `09 unit that reached the NorCal semifinals. Yet, the 2011-2012 Gunn girls' basketball team has its own niche in school history and there are still
James Tensuan
T
pages that could be filled in the record book. The Titans of today are the only hoop team, boys or girls, in school history to win a Central Coast Section championship. That happened last Saturday night when Gunn held off defending champ Palo Alto, 4139, in the Division I finals at Santa Clara University's Leavey Center. That victory earned the Titans
a No. 7 seed into the CIF NorCal Division I playoffs, and Gunn made the most of that opportunity with a 35-33 triumph over No. 10 seed Mission San Jose on Wednesday in the Titans' gym. Now, for only the second time in school history, Gunn is headed for a second-round NorCal game. The 2009 team, which finished 29-2 with Jasmine Evans, reached the
NorCal semifinals before losing. Gunn coach Sarah Stapp, who coached both the `08 and `09 teams, will take her current squad to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Saturday to face No. 2 Lowell (25-4) at historic Kezar Pavilion at 6 p.m. The showdown will provide Gunn (20-6) with an opportunity to
(continued on next page)
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
CCS SOCCER
ON THE AIR
Friday
Women's basketball: Stanford in Pac12 Tournament, noon; Fox Sports Net; KZSU (90.1 FM) College baseball: Rice at Stanford, 5:30 p.m., KZSU (90.1 FM)
Stanford women advance in Pac-12 tourney
N
Saturday
College baseball: Rice at Stanford, 1 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM) Women's basketball: Pac-12 Tournament finals, 11:30 a.m.; Fox Sports Net; KZSU (90.1 FM)
Sunday
College baseball: Rice at Stanford, noon; KZSU (90.1 FM)
READ MORE ONLINE
For expanded daily coverage of college and prep sports, please see our new site at www.PASportsOnline.com
www.PASportsOnline.com
by Rick Eymer nemkadi Ogwumike knows things will only get harder from this point forward, so getting a good challenge from an opposing post player was just the thing to quickly shift her attention back to the basketball court. For freshman Bonnie Samuelson, a Long Beach native, the chance to play at the Staples Center was motivation enough. Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer liked the effort but also understands there are still a few details to work on. The Ogwumike sisters will take their basketball act to the main stage Friday after working out a few kinks
(continued on page 38)
Menlo girls' path to title clearly marked
by Keith Peters and James Huber t started back in November when members of the Menlo School girls' soccer team members took their Sharpie pens and began marking their bodies. This was not born out artistic design, but rather as a reminder of the past and how the future could be changed. The team's last league title was in 1991 and previous Central Coast Section co-championship was in 1990. So, the players began writing 1991 in black ink on themselves as they pushed toward the West Bay Athletic League title.
(continued on page 37)
I
Lena Wu
Menlo coach Donoson FitzGerald watched his girls' team celebrate the school's first-ever outright CCS soccer title on Saturday.
Page 35
NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Architectural Review Board (ARB)
9:30 A.M.,Thursday, March 22, 2012 Community Room, Downtown Library, 270 Forest Avenue, Palo Alto, CA. Contact Diana Tamale for information regarding business hours at 650.329.2144. The topics for the retreat include the following: 1. Discussion of the Review of Open Space District homes (PTC v. ARB at this time). 2. Discussion of Large Project Reviews (ARB projects when no PTC review required) and forwarding information to PTC 3. Discussion of the El Camino Real Design Guidelines 4. Sign Code Discussion 5. Miscellaneous Board Business Amy French Manager of Current Planning
Sports
NorCal hoops
(continued from previous page)
NOTICE OF FINAL DRAFT REPORT OF BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN TRANSPORTATION PLAN
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Final Draft Report for the 2012 Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan has been prepared by the Palo Alto Department of Planning and Community Environment, Transportation Division. This document is available for review and comment during the period beginning March 2, 2012 through April 2, 2012, and is available online at www.cityofpaloalto.org/bike. Comments may be submitted via email to transportation@ cityofpaloalto.org or to Department of Planning and Community Environment, Transportation Division, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California, 94301. Printed copies of the Final Draft Report are available for review during the hours of 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M., at City Hall, 5th Floor, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. Additional copies are available for review at all City of Palo Alto libraries. This Report will be considered at a public hearing by the City Council shortly after the public comment period closes. Curtis Williams, Director of Planning and Community Environment
avenge a 45-43 loss to Lowell at the Burlingame Tournament earlier this season. This will be the fifth meeting in the past five years between the two teams, with each winning twice. "We're familiar with each other," said Stapp. "We have played them in the past and we played them earlier this year. We're going to be playing in a unique venue in Kezar." Gunn will be one of five local teams playing on Saturday. In Division IV boys, No. 3-seeded Sacred Heart Prep (21-6) will host No. 6 St. Patrick/St. Vincent (20-11) at 7 p.m. The visitors from Vallejo advanced with a 50-48 win over Riverbank on Wednesday. SHP opened its season with a 60-56 over St. Patrick/St. Vincent and has to hope it won't be ending its season against the same team. At stake is a berth in Tuesday's semifinals, likely at No. 2 seed Modesto Christian. Sacred Heart Prep earned its NorCal seed after winning a third straight section title with a 53-44 win over Half Moon Bay on Friday. In Division V, the No. 2 seed Pinewood boys (25-2) will begin NorCal action against No. 7 University-San Francisco (21-10) at 7 p.m. University advanced with a 79-77 win over Ripon Christian on Wednesday and also has a history with Pinewood, having eliminated the Panthers in last season's NorCal second round. Thus, payback will be on the minds of Pinewood coach Jason Peery and his players as they continue their quest for a possible berth in the state finals for the first time in program history. The Panthers cruised into NorCal play after winning their second straight section title, 74-57 victory over St. FrancisCentral Coast Catholic behind Kevin Sweat's 25 points. The Eastside Prep girls are in a similar situation. The Panthers (1514) are seeded No. 2 in Division V and will open NorCal play on Saturday against No. 7 Ripon Christian (22-5), which (coincidently) eliminated University-SF, 50-41. Eastside Prep, like the Pinewood boys, is searching for its first-ever state berth, as well, after knocking off defending champ Pinewood, 4128, in the CCS finals last Saturday morning. The Pinewood girls, who not only have reached the state finals but won five times (most in Division V state history), times, will be back in action Saturday on the road against No. 4 Hamilton (30-0) at 7 p.m. The Panthers (19-12) kept their state hopes alive with a 61-37 romp over No. 12 San Domenico of San Anselmo on Wednesday. The Gunn girls, only a few days removed from their historic CCS championship, raced to an early 16-2 lead but lost it before rallying to keep their season alive. "That game was a battle," said Stapp. "Even after falling behind, our girls were determined and played through the end to get the win." Gunn held a 24-14 lead in the third quarter before the Warriors (27-4)
Tim Aiken
Gunn sophomore Zoe Zwerling scored her team's final three points to lift the Titans to a 35-33 victory in a NorCal Division I opener Wednesday. grabbed a 31-28 lead with five minutes left. Despite trailing 33-30 with a little over three minutes left, Gunn dug deep and held Mission San Jose scoreless while scoring the final five points of the game. With 1:30 left, Gunn's Claire Klausner scored to cut the lead to 33-32 and, after stopping Mission San Jose, Zoe Zwerling drove the right side, pulled up 10 feet from the basket and drained a jumper to put Gunn up for good. With 21 seconds remaining, Zwerling was fouled and went to the line for a one-and-one. After making the first shot, Zwerling missed the second setting up the dramatic final finish. Mission San Jose brought the ball up and called a timeout with 4.8 seconds left. On the Warriors' final effort they set up a play for Alexa Iwatani, whose three-point attempt was blocked cleanly by Gunn junior Emily Redfield as the clock expired. While Gunn was advancing in Division I, Palo Alto was not. Despite getting 25 points from senior Emilee Osagiede, the No. 8-seeded Vikings saw their season end in the first round following a 66-56 loss to No. 9 seed Pleasant Grove (22-9) in the Vikings' gym. The Vikings (19-6) held a 21-15 first-quarter lead and a 31-30 advantage at the half, but got into foul trouble and sent the visitors to the line for 34 free-throw attempts, of which 25 were made. Paly, on the other hand, missed 15 of 24 attempts. Paly, however, still trailed by only 42-40 entering the final quarter and Osagiede poured in 11 points in the period in an attempt to keep her team close. Following a basket by Osagiede, Paly got to within 5655 before junior Stephanie Allen made one of two free throws to tie the game at 56. At that point, the Eagles went on a 10-0 run to put the game away. In Division V, two-time defending CIF Division V state champion Pinewood kept its hopes alive for a repeat performance by eliminating No. 12 seed San Domenico of San Anselmo, 61-37. Senior Jenny Hansen made seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 21 points to pace the Panthers, surpassing her previous best of 16. Sophomore Leeana Bade added 13 points while freshman Marissa Hing made a trio of threepointers and finished with 11. Kelly Doran, one of only two seniors on the team, added nine points on three treys for the Panthers. Pinewood held a 35-25 halftime lead and then outscored the visitors, 15-2, in the third quarter to put the game away. (Tom Jacoubowsky of gunntitans. com contributed)
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Sports
CCS BOYS' SOCCER
Register Online Today!
Saturday, March 24th, 2012
Frustrating finish to M-A's season
The Margaret Wright Wellness 5k Run/Walk
T
by Keith Peters he game was already over when Menlo-Atherton senior Edgardo Molina lined up for a penalty kick. His team was trailing, 3-1, and the Watsonville players were already celebrating. Because a Watsonville player had been called for a handball just before the final whistle, the match couldn't end on a penalty and thus Molina took the penalty kick. He clanked it on the left post and the ball ricocheted across the front of the goal and harmlessly rolled away. With that, the dream of an unbeaten season was over for the Bears. "Missing that PK at the end . . . that just summed up our day," said M-A coach Jacob Pickard. Top-seeded Menlo-Atherton came into the match with a 17-0-5 record, hope for an unbeaten season and the program's first Central Coast Section Division I championship since 1994. It was also Molina's 19th birthday, so there had to be a present coming.
D
Keith Peters
o you like fun, fitness, and connecting with community in support of our youth? Then come out on Saturday, March 24th for The Margaret Wright Wellness 5k Run/Walk at the Palo Alto Baylands! This event is in celebration of Girls To Women's (g2W) five years of continuous service!
Location: Palo Alto Baylands Time: 8AM Register at: www.girlstowomen.org
If interested in volunteering, sponsoring or for more information please contact Joanna at 650.326.6431 or info@girlstowomen.org
Photo courtesy of Talala Mshuyja
M-A tri-captain Aaron Oro (right) passes the CCS runner-up trophy to his teammates following a 3-1 loss in the section finals. But, there was no unbeaten season, no title and no present. The 3-1 loss put an end to all those hopes and ended an otherwise highly successful season for the Bears at 171-5. "It was a good season," Pickard said. "Unfortunately, one loss put a bad light on it. That's what the kids will remember. I told them yesterday, `Tomorrow is the one game Heading into this season's postseason, the Knights had played in seven of the previous 10 section tournaments and had lost to the eventual champion each time. By reaching the finals last weekend, the Knights faced the prospect of making that eight out of 11 years. This time, it didn't happen. "I don't think anyone on our team thought we weren't going to win our championship game," Lacy said. Boissiere scored Menlo's first goal off a penalty kick with six minutes left in the first half. After sophomore forward Chandler Wickers was fouled from behind on a breakaway, Boisserie stepped up. "Generally I try to get (the goalie) to go the wrong way so I can not hit it perfectly and still have it go in," Boisserie said, who was 3-3 on penalty kicks in the CCS playoffs. Menlo took a 1-0 lead into halftime and never looked back, keeping the ball in Santa Cruz's territory for most of the second half. Wickers was relentless at the point of attack for Menlo and punched in the team's second goal off a nifty assist from sophomore Lindsay Karle in the 67th minute. The vaunted Menlo defense suffocated the Santa Cruz attack and recorded its 11th shutout of the season. Lacy led the way once again and the defense prevented the Cardinals from mustering any dangerous scoring opportunities in the second half. The formidable tag team of junior goalies Kelly McConnell and Julia Dressel recorded yet another shutout. "We're really in tune with each other," Lacy said. "If it gets past one of us we're really good at getting back and supporting each other." Early in the game, both teams had good opportunities at goal. Wickers narrowly missed a shot over the crossbar and a Santa Cruz header we'll be judged by.'" It was an emotional day in many ways for the Bears. Senior Julian Alcala attended a funeral in the morning for a friend who had died of cancer a week earlier. M-A team manager Katherine (Miss Kitty) Moore collapsed from heat-related issues with about 18 minutes left in
(continued on page 39)
Where Girls Create Bright Futures
This space donated as Community Service by the Palo Alto Weekly
COMMUNITY MEETING
Review the proposed design options for the Magical Bridge Playground at Mitchell Park Saturday, March 17, 2012, 11AM-1PM Cubberely Community Center, Room M-2 4000 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303 The City of Palo Alto seeks the community input on this new universally-accessible playground. Email pwecips@cityofpaloalto.org for more information. Meeting hosted by City of Palo Alto Public Works (650) 617-3183
Girls' soccer
(continued from page 35)
"I just kept tracing over what I written the previous week," said Menlo senior Shannon Lacy. "I think they (the numbers) just kept getting bigger." When Menlo finally claimed the WBAL title, the players scratched off 1991 and wrote 2012. Then, the focus shifted to CCS. The Knights had shared section titles from 1988-90, but never won an outright CCS crown. So, the players wrote 1990 on themselves before each section match. "It (the marks) never went away," said sophomore Jay Boissiere. "We had 1990 and 1991 on us since November." If nothing else, the dates pointed the way toward titles because Menlo followed up the long-awaited league title with a CCS Division III crown last Saturday at Valley Christian High in San Jose following a 2-0 victory over Santa Cruz. "It worked so well," Lacy said of the Sharpie numbers' game. "We wanted this so bad this year." With the section victory secured, the Knights marked off 1990 and wrote 2012. Mission accomplished. Menlo, the No. 4 seed, finished 15-4-3. The Knights eliminated No. 1 Scotts Valley in the semifinals, 1-0, on a penalty kick by Boissiere before upending No. 2 Santa Cruz. "This is the best team I've ever had," head coach Donoson FitzGerald said. "I've had a lot of great teams at Menlo, but this team is above and beyond." FitzGerald and the Knights had been close before, losing the 2000 finale to Santa Cruz, which knocked out Menlo in both the 2003 and 2010 quarterfinals.
sailed wide left of the frame. Menlo had a couple of scoring chances after its first goal; Boisserie had a nice left-footed cross into the box for sophomore Siena Stritter and Wickers fed Karle for a through ball that was snuffed out by the Santa Cruz keeper. In the second half senior Elyse Adler's long throwins caught Santa Cruz sleeping, with Menlo's forwards swooping in from behind. "We played a very good team," FitzGerald said. "We certainly have some incredible individuals, but this team all the way through is strong. We found a way to win with different players stepping up. It's hard to put a finger on it. I love this team. I love to see who they are as people . . . These girls kept playing at such a high level. "This group of kids evolved into a special team over the season. First, the character of the 19 girls is outstanding. Each of the players was committed to the team and to each other. They gave their best effort consistently. They were unselfish. The liked each other. All were talented soccer players." For FitzGerald, in his 23rd season, it all came together and added up to a championship. "We had two strong goalkeepers, a group of really tough and skilled defenders, creative and hard-working midfielders, and many goalscoring forwards," FitzGerald said. "We had role players coming off the bench who gave us a contribution in that role. The team played very hard and they played for each other. "This tam was a team in every sense. They pulled together, believed in each other, played hard, had fun, and created a beautiful soccer team. I am so proud of them and so happy for the team they created together."
Avenidas presentsits 4th Annual Avenidas presents its 5th Annual
Housing Conference
Come discover:
Saturday, March 10 8:30 am - 2:30 pm
Should you rent or own? How to stay safe in your home Ways to unlock your home's value Other housing options How to eliminate clutter Tips on selling your home Register at Avenidas.org or call (650) 289-5435.
Resources and programs for positive aging
Special thanks to Presenting Sponsor Nancy Goldcamp
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Sports
Palo Alto Unified School District
Notice is hereby Given that proposals will be received by the Palo Alto Unified School District for bid package: Palo Alto High School Stadium Kitchen Equipment TI (Snack Bar) Contract No. PASK-12 DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK: The work includes, but is not limited to: Supply and install kitchen stainless sheet metal counters, sinks, tables and appliances as shown and described in the project documents. Work to be coordinated and scheduled to ensure a complete functional installation. Final installation subject to approval by Santa Clara County's Department of Health,. Bidding documents contain the full description of the work. There will be a mandatory pre-bid conference and site visit at 10 a.m. on March 15th, 2012 at the District Facilities Office at 25 Churchill Ave., Building D, Palo Alto, California 94306. Bid Submission: Proposals must be received at the District Facilities Office, 25 Churchill Ave., Building D, by 10:00 a.m. on March 20th 2012. PREVAILING WAGE LAWS: The successful Bidder must comply with all prevailing wage laws applicable to the Project, and related requirements contained in the Contract Documents. Palo Alto Unified School District will maintain a Labor Compliance Program (LCP) for the duration of this project. In bidding this project, the contractor warrants he/she is aware and will follow the Public Works Chapter of the California Labor Code comprised of Labor Code Sections 1720 � 1861. A copy of the District's LCP is available for review at 25 Churchill Avenue, Building D, Palo Alto, CA 94306. 1. A pre-construction conference shall be conducted with the contractor or subcontractors to discuss federal and state labor law requirements applicable to the contract. 2. Project contractors and subcontracts shall maintain and furnish to the District, at a designated time, a certified copy of each payroll with a statement of compliance signed under penalty of perjury. 3. The District shall review and, if appropriate, audit payroll records to verify compliance with the Public Works Chapter of the Labor Code. 4. The District shall withhold contract payments if payroll records are delinquent or inadequate. 5. The District shall withhold contract payments as described in the LCP, including applicable penalties when the District and Labor Commissioner establish that underpayment of other violations has occurred. Bidders may examine Bidding Documents at the District Facilities Office, 25 Churchill Ave, Building D, Palo Alto. Bidders may purchase copies of Plans and Specifications at American Reprographics Company (ARC), 1100 Industrial Road Suite 13, San Carlos, California 94070 Phone: (650) 631-2310 Address all questions to: Palo Alto Unified School District 25 Churchill Avenue, Building D, Palo Alto, CA 94306-1099 Attn: Tim McBrian Phone: (650) 833-4211 Fax: (650) 327-3588 tmcbrian@pausd.org
Stanford baseball puts 11-1 record and No. 2 ranking on the line against Rice this weekend
by Rick Eymer
S
tanford baseball coach Mark Marquess doesn't mind being wrong when it comes to his preseason prediction. He suggested the Cardinal would not be ranked as high as second after the first few weeks of the season. Marquess thought with the tough nonconference schedule, the (still) second-ranked Cardinal (11-1) would have suffered a few more losses and dipped in the rankings. For the sake of full disclosure, Marquess did say he hoped he was wrong. Stanford continues its tough schedule this weekend, when fourthranked Rice (12-2) visits for a threegame series beginning with Friday's 5:30 p.m. opener, which pits two of the nation's marquee pitchers in Cardinal Mark Appel (2-1, 3.68) and Owls' Matthew Reckling (2-0, 0.82). Rice sports a team ERA of 2.88, with Andrew Benak (2-0, 1.04) and Jordan Stephens (1-0, 1.88) also expected to pitch this weekend. Appel will be followed by Brett Mooneyham (3-0, 1.71) and Josh
Hochstatter (3-0, 1.50) for Stanford, which carries a 2.81 team ERA. Hochstatter, a freshman who worked out of the bullpen over the opening weekend, has latched onto the third starting spot for now, although A.J. Vanegas, who threw five scoreless innings in Stanford's 5-0 win over host St. Mary's in a nonconference game Wednesday, continues to push his way into the mix. "Starting is definitely different," Hochstatter said. "It allows you to warm up with a lot of time. I can't say enough about the run support and the defense behind me. I'm excited for the season." Stanford's offense is almost an embarrassment of riches, with Jake Stewart's team-leading .404 batting average leading the way for a team average of .327. The Cardinal has outscored its opponents 111-35 so far this year. "This is a lineup you can't make mistakes against," Stanford catcher Eric Smith said. "One through nine, anyone can drive in a run, hit the ball over the fence or hit one into said. "My dad would take me to at least one game a year. I'm really looking forward to playing there." The Sun Devils are one of two teams which beat Stanford in a conference championship game, winning the 2002 event in Eugene. Stanford never trailed by less than 12 during the second half, although the Huskies did make a run to cut the Cardinal advantage. "They were aggressive inside and we were more concerned with their perimeter players," Nneka said. "It was good to play against Regina (Rogers) because she's a great player and a challenge to guard. I think once we started to recognize our options on the floor, we were able to get it going." Samuelson hit a pair of 3-pointers and Chiney Ogwumike hit a putback to up Stanford's lead to 24 points midway through the second half that all but settled the issue. Amber Orrange hit a jumper with 7:58 left to give the Cardinal a 27point edge and forcing Washington coach Kevin McGuff to call his final timeout. "They are the best defensive team
the gap." Rice not only brings a top pitching staff to Sunken Diamond, but a worthy offensive lineup as well. The Owls are hitting .294 with 11 home runs, led by Michael Fuda's .424 average. "I look for some great baseball," Stanford's Stephen Piscotty said. "They are a great team and are always pretty solid." Stanford brings a three-game winning streak into the series. Rice has won three of its last four as both teams opened strong. The Cardinal won eight straight before losing, 7-5, at Fresno State. The Owls won their first nine games, including a threegame sweep over Dallas Baptist, the school California beat in last year's Super Regional, before losing to Texas, 11-8. Rice also lost, 3-2, to Texas State. California also ended Rice's season last year in Houston. Not many teams can match Stanford's productivity though. The Cardinal has five players with at least 10 runs scored and matches the Owls with 11 home runs in two fewer games. we've faced all year," McGuff said. "They have tremendous length, they tip a lot of balls, get into passing lanes and keep you off the boards." Men's basketball Chasson Randle scored 27 of his career high 30 points in the first half and Stanford advanced to the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, beating Arizona State, 85-65, Wednesday night. The seventh-seeded Cardinal (21-10) got another chance at second-seeded California in Thursday night's game. Stanford beat the Bears on Sunday to knock them out of a first place tie with Washington. If Stanford was able to get past Cal, the Cardinal likely would play No. 3 Oregon in Friday's semifinals, with a good chance of reaching Saturday's finals. Randle set a tournament record with his first-half scoring performance. The freshman guard was 7-of-11 from the field, including 6 of 8 from 3-point land, and 10-of-12 from the foul line.
Pac-12 hoops
(continued from page 35)
Give blood for life!
b l o o d c e n t e r. s t a n f o r d . e d u
in a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Conference tournament. Chiney Ogwumike scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Nnemkadi Ogwumike added 18 points and seven rebounds as the second-ranked Cardinal beat Washington, 76-57, Thursday afternoon at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. "We took care of the ball, we focused on the scouting report and we were able to make adjustments," VanDerveer said. "We still have things to work on. Chiney is our top rebounder and she is relentless on the glass. We need other people to follow in her footsteps." Samuelson added 11 points as the women's tournament moves to the Staples Center on Friday and the Cardinal (29-1) will meet either Arizona or Arizona State at noon in a semifinal. Saturday's championship contest is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. "I've been watching the Lakers play since I was little," Samuelson
Learn the Guitar this Spring
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*"Starting to Play" meets for one hour each Monday night for nine weeks beginning March 26. Students are encouraged to bring their own guitar, but both nylon-string and steel-string loaner guitars are available. Other classes at more advanced levels are also offered. A full brochure is available at Gryphon.
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Page 38
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Sports
Boys' soccer
(continued from page 37)
the first half, but was able to walk (with assistance) to the shady side of the field where she watched the rest of the match. And then came the red card. M-A junior Alexei Lopez was issued a yellow card with 13:05 left in the half and voiced his displeasure with the call. Instead of letting it go, he persisted to argue the call until the ref pulled out a second yellow and then a red, sending Lopez to the bench for the remainder of the game. "The red card said a lot," Pickard said. "It set the boys off, sending a message the refs were favoring other players. The rest of the half we had no composure. I felt the entire first half was a waste." It didn't help that Watsonville had taken a 1-0 lead, either, coming in the 31st minute. An M-A defender went for a steal and missed, with the Wildcatz advancing the ball up the right sideline. From there, it was centered to Jose Flores in front of
the cage and he finished. Trailing 1-0, the Bears came out of halftime with a new determination and took the game to Watsonville. The always dangerous Molina got free on a long run and shot, which was defended. The Bears had three more good opportunities, including a direct kick by senior Aaron Oro from just outside the penalty box with just over 29 minutes left. Once again, the Bears came up empty. The Wildcatz, however, did not. Flores broke free and slotted a pass to Alex Cibrian for a goal and 2-0 match with 25:24 left. Four minutes later, it was Flores again as he got behind the Bears' defense for a 1v1 with keeper J.P, Nash. Flores won the battle and it was 3-0. With 7:35 left, Molina finally got the Bears on the scoreboard as he took a long bouncing pass and chipped it over the keeper. Molina raced into the cage, retrieved the ball and ran it back to midfield as
time was running out. With 2:00 remaining, Oro got free for a shot just outside the penalty box, but ripped it over the crossbar. Had he scored, it would have been 3-2. In stoppage, Elvis Abarca Cervantes sent a direct kick over the crossbar. Finally, Molina missed the PK. The Bears came that close to tying and going to overtime. But, as Pickard said, it wasn't his team's day. "Some of the calls . . . they felt they were wronged," Pickard said of his players. "Their mentality let them down today. "Today was a day full of emotion. Unfortunately, a lot of it was negative." For 16 M-A seniors, the match marked the end of their prep careers. Molina was in tears afterward while Oro, one of three tri-captains along with Molina and Will Cabral, walked down the line of his teammates and congratulated each one. One loss had never been so painful.
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Over 8 million people in the U.S. were victims of identity theft in 2010
Thursday, March 15, 2012 7:00pm to 8:30pm Avenidas, La Comida Room 450 Bryant Street, Palo Alto
Presented by Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss and District Attorney Jeff Rosen RSVP to: ashley.allen@bos.sccgov.org 408-299-5059
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Mark Welton, MD, MHCM Professor and Chief, Colon and Rectal Surgery
Jaye Boissiere (L) Shannon Lacy
Menlo School
Boissiere, a sophomore, had the winning goal in the semis and one in the finals while Lacy, a senior defender, led a pair of shutouts as the Knights won their firstever outright CCS Division III soccer title.
Kevin Sweat
Pinewood School
The senior scored 16 points in a semifinal basketball victory and added 25 points in a 74-57 victory in the finals as the Panthers captured back-to-back CCS Division V championships for the first time in school history.
George Fisher, MD, PhD Associate Professor, Oncology Director, Cancer Clinical Trials
Honorable mention
Brije Byers
Eastside Prep basketball
Andrew Ball
Menlo tennis
Early Detection. Advanced Care.
Colon cancer screening can provide you with peace of mind or lifesaving prevention and early detection. Stanford specialists offer the latest in screening techniques and prevention strategies. In the event that cancer is detected, Stanford's dedicated team of cancer specialists offers the personalized and expert care that you deserve.
Hashima Carothers
Eastside Prep basketball
Austin Braff
Palo Alto baseball
Julia Dressel/Kelly McConnell
Menlo soccer
Kevin Donahoe
Sacred Heart Prep basketball
Julia Maggioncalda
Gunn basketball
Tom Kremer
Sacred Heart Prep swimming
Cat Perez
Gunn basketball
Cole McConnell*
Sacred Heart Prep basketball
Chandler Wickers*
Menlo soccer
Solomone Wolfgramm*
Pinewood baseball * previous winner
For information call, 650.736.5555 or visit stanfordhospital.org/colonhealth
Page 39
To see video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to www.PASportsOnline.com
Menlo Park Median Price - 2011
Price Change from 2010 to 2011 (prices shown per million dollars)
$0.83 $0.65 7%
6%
$0.33
3%
$3.45
$2.17 $2.30 36% 18% $1.07 $1.14 11%
8%
Redwood City
$1.96
18%
5%
Menlo Oaks
$4.08
$1.48
11%
12%
Woodside
$1.40 3% $1.85 9%
$4.66
$1.74 2%
94%
Menlo Park
Map Courtesy of Map Courtesy of Palo Alto Weekly Palo Alto Weekly
Map Courtesy of Palo Alto Weekly
Information Based on MLS Single Family Homes
Palo Alto Hills Hills
$0.98
21%
Information Based on MLS Single Family Homes
schoelerman
Call Jackie & Richard to Sell or Buy Your Home
Jackie (650) 855-9700 | Richard (650) 566-8033
jackie@apr.com | richard@apr.com
www.schoelerman.com
(650) 566-8033
i h d@
DRE # 01092400 | DRE # 01413607
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